Lean Meat Powder Incident File: Key Facts at Your Fingertips

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

Editor's note:

Whether to lift the ban and open the market to U.S. beef containing leanness-enhancing agents has recently sparked discussion across all sectors.

Although officials have repeatedly stressed that the leanness-enhancing agent ractopamine is "relatively safe," in the absence of adequate risk assessment and transparent, publicly available information, all parties continue to raise the following questions that remain to be clarified:

First, there is currently insufficient international risk assessment of leanness-enhancing agents' effects on human health, and research in the European Union also strongly questions their safety; a hasty lifting of the ban would plunge the health of our citizens into unpredictable risk. Meat containing leanness-enhancing agents would also pour into eating-out establishments, institutional catering and processed meat products. Who can safeguard the health of all citizens?

Second, industrially farmed U.S. cattle are not grass-fed; they are raised on large amounts of corn, animal protein and antibiotics, and concerns about mad cow disease have not subsided. At the same time, 45% of pigs and 30% of cattle not raised on pasture in the United States are fed feed products containing leanness-enhancing agents. This unnatural way of farming has already caused many health and environmental problems.

Third, once the ban on leanness-enhancing agents is lifted, under the WTO framework other countries can demand that Taiwan open its market under the same standard. By then, foreign meat that uses leanness-enhancing agents to lower production costs while enjoying large subsidies will pour into Taiwan, likely dealing a severe blow to the domestic livestock industry.

In response to this issue and the risks we do not know about, NewsMarket (Shangyou Xiayou) is launching a series of reports in the hope of making information more transparent and strengthening the power of oversight; at the same time, we will compile related information in the form of a case file for readers' reference. Everyone is welcome to leave comments for discussion, or submit articles to [email protected], with the subject line marked "U.S. beef leanness-enhancing agents." (Compiled by / Jiang Huixian; image source / Hudong)

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U.S. Beef Leanness-Enhancing Agent Storm: Control Yuan Member Cheng Jen-hung - The 16-Character Motto Lacks Supporting Measures, Hard for the Public to Feel at Ease by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.06.18

The confrontation between the ruling and opposition camps triggered by the U.S. beef leanness-enhancing agent storm has continued for more than four months since the Lunar New Year. Although the Executive Yuan proposed the "16-character motto" of "safe tolerance, separation of beef and pork, mandatory labeling, exclusion of organs," promising that the government would take responsibility for safeguarding food safety, Control Yuan Member Cheng Jen-hung, who has long paid attention to food safety issues, pointed out directly that the 16-character motto currently lacks effective and proactive supporting measures, making it hard for the public to feel at ease.

Under the Shadow of Leanness-Enhancing Agents, Eating Braised Beef Poses Lower Risk Than Steak by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.05.24
The shadow of leanness-enhancing agents lingers, and the government's "three controls and five checks" on U.S. beef have also failed. If people worry about ractopamine residues in everyday meat, what should they do? Domestic experimental research has found that the longer the heating time, and cooking meat by braising and stewing, can better reduce the risk of ingesting ractopamine. If reflected in everyday beef cooking methods, eating braised beef is safer than eating steak.

Cattle with ID Cards! How Do Japan and Canada Track Mad Cow Disease? by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.04.26
The United States has discovered its 4th case of mad cow disease, and the safety of U.S. beef is once again being questioned. Chou Chin-cheng, dean and professor of National Taiwan University's School of Veterinary Medicine, pointed out that the production traceability system for U.S. beef is incompletely established, and mad cow disease cannot be eradicated in a short time. NewsMarket reporters compared cattle management in the United States, Japan and Canada and found that every cow in Japan and Canada has an ID card, allowing early detection and reduction of the harm of mad cow disease, while the United States has so far not established nationwide cattle registration data, causing epidemiological investigations to react half a beat too slowly.

Loose Production Traceability Management for U.S. Beef Makes the Shadow of Mad Cow Hard to Eliminate by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.04.25
After six years of silence, the United States has discovered a 4th new case of mad cow disease. Chou Chin-cheng, dean and professor of National Taiwan University's School of Veterinary Medicine, believes that compared with Europe, Japan and Canada, the U.S. beef production traceability system is not fully established, and mad cow disease will be difficult to eradicate in a short time. Although Taiwan has "three controls and five checks" restrictions on U.S. beef, the number of veterinarians stationed in the United States by officials is insufficient, and inspections of slaughterhouses exporting beef to Taiwan are merely formalistic, raising worries about whether the gate can be kept.

Leanness-Enhancing Agent "Acceptable Daily Intake" Is Questionable; Consumers May Fall into Safety Concerns! by Editorial Department 2012.04.22
The Department of Health planned to set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the leanness-enhancing agent ractopamine, but the Consumers' Foundation pointed out that in making this decision, the Department of Health failed to broadly include experts from all sides, even citing information from the pharmaceutical company that produces the leanness-enhancing agent, and at the same time did not consider the possible risks the drug may pose to young children. Setting an ADI hastily would bring enormous risk to the health of our citizens, and it called on the Legislative Yuan to strictly keep watch and not permit the use of leanness-enhancing agents before doubts are clearly resolved.

Seeds of Deception and U.S. Beef: The Government Should Stop Its Policy Myths by Cheng Ya-yun 2012.04.11
On the 10th, NewsMarket conducted an exclusive interview with the author of "Seeds of Deception," Smith, who went on to point out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has major flaws in its decision-making operations. He believes that Taiwan's long-term reliance on FDA judgments is very dangerous and that an independent assessment mechanism should be established immediately. Another WikiLeaks document pointed out that Taiwan has important symbolic significance in U.S. trade liberalization policy, showing that whether on GMO or leanness-enhancing agent issues, there should be stricter legal and regulatory restrictions.

CAS Processed Meat Products Hit by Another Leanness-Enhancing Agent Residue Incident by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.04.05
The Taipei City Department of Health recently (April 3) announced the results of testing commercially sold meat for beta-agonists (commonly known as "leanness-enhancing agents"). Among 15 meat products, "pepper leg meat (pork)" (expiry date: 2012.04.27) sold by Wellcome supermarket was found to contain 0.7 ppb of ractopamine residue. After tracing, the source manufacturer of the product was "Fu Tong Food" of Pingtung County. NewsMarket reporters continued to track and found that the pepper leg meat (pork) produced by Fu Tong had passed CAS certification. This situation not only once again damaged the image of CAS, but also highlighted the importance of promoting the establishment of production and sales traceability for domestic processed meat products and strengthening quality control.

Reject Leanness-Enhancing Agents, Insist on Zero Detection - Citizen Candlelight March by Feng Xiao-fei 2012.04.02
More than a hundred groups nationwide, including the Homemakers United Foundation, community colleges, environmental groups and civic groups from various places, jointly formed the "National Food Safety Alliance" and yesterday (April 1) held a "Walk for Food Safety" dark candlelight silent march to protest the government's black-box operations and its opening to leanness-enhancing agents in disregard of citizens' health.

Don't Let CAS Become a Talisman for Food Hooligans by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.03.28
The meat management problems highlighted by the leanness-enhancing agent storm did not develop in a day. In the past, when the Executive Yuan's Consumer Protection Commission and local health units tested meat for elementary school lunches, besides finding leanness-enhancing agents, they also detected antibiotics that must not remain, and some processed meat products had even obtained CAS certification. When even CAS oversight has problems, it not only harms the consumer trust relationship but also drags down truly conscientious operators. Through an introduction by the Homemakers United Consumer Cooperative, which pays the most attention to food safety in Taiwan, NewsMarket reporters conducted an exclusive interview with "Dr. Yang" of Sing Kung Industrial, which has won CAS's highest grade on its own for years and is also Taiwan's largest exporter of pork to Japan, on how to safeguard meat safety amid this leanness-enhancing agent storm.

Shortage of Veterinary Talent in the Industry Makes Food Safety Hard to Safeguard by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.03.26
Leanness-enhancing agents, avian flu, toxic feed... negative news related to the very source of food production keeps erupting one after another, amounting to fatigue bombing for consumers, yet it also constantly reminds us that from the place of production to the dining table, there are too many loopholes that have not been patched. The recently erupted leanness-enhancing agent, avian flu and toxic feed incidents are only the tip of the iceberg.

Criminal Liability for Illegal Use of Leanness-Enhancing Agents Is Too Low, and the Storm Continues to Expand! by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.03.15
On March 8, representatives of pig-farming groups from across the province went north to the Council of Agriculture to protest the Executive Yuan's declaration of opening to imports of U.S. beef containing ractopamine, and the following week Taiwan pork was found to contain residues of the more toxic leanness-enhancing agents "Salbutamol" and "Cimaterol." Domestic meat being found to contain leanness-enhancing agent residues is not a problem of one day. Besides loopholes in the management of medicated feed, most criminals who illegally import and sell leanness-enhancing agents face criminal liability of no more than one year; the low cost of crime leads lawbreakers to repeatedly take risks.

Revealing an Unpublished Government Report: Leanness-Enhancing Agents Will Deal a Blow to the Livestock Industry by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.03.06
Now, the Executive Yuan's policy declaration on the leanness-enhancing agent U.S. beef issue - "safe tolerance, separation of beef and pork, mandatory labeling, exclusion of organs" - and its explanation that it is based on "organizing correct information from scientific facts" make for an overly hasty decision-making process, and cannot convince the public that after lifting the ban on ractopamine in the future, the government will be capable of safeguarding food safety for the people.

Executive Yuan Takes a Position for the First Time: Conditional Lifting of the Ban on Leanness-Enhancing Agent U.S. Beef by Editorial Department 20120305
Chou Chin-cheng, dean of National Taiwan University's School of Veterinary Medicine, and Lin Jie-liang, director of the Clinical Toxicology Division at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, who participated in the "Third Expert Meeting on Leanness-Enhancing Agents" on March 3, said that the conclusion of that day's meeting was clearly "no research report proves it is dangerous, and no research report proves it is safe," and therefore reached the conclusion of "no consensus" on lifting the ban. Regarding the Executive Yuan's and the president's interpretation of the expert meeting, Hsu Li-min, attending physician in the Department of Traumatology at National Taiwan University's College of Medicine, even described his feelings as "angry" and "feeling deceived."

Please, Government, Do Not Selectively Disclose Information on Leanness-Enhancing Agents by Editorial Department 20120301
The leanness-enhancing agent issue is escalating. While the government has repeatedly declared that it has no specific position on whether to open to ractopamine, we see the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine of the Council of Agriculture constantly citing U.S. materials to explain that ractopamine is safe, while lacking voices citing doubts from the European Union or China. Chen Man-li, chairperson of the Homemakers United Foundation, believes that U.S. beef using ractopamine is shipped to Taiwan or other third-world countries in weaker positions, while meat without the additive is reserved for domestic markets and for countries in strong positions that demand high standards, such as the European Union. Facing this repressive, hard-sell posture from the United States, the government does not even disclose the contents of the Executive Yuan's inter-ministerial technical advisory group meeting on U.S. beef, leaving the public unable to trust the government's ability to safeguard citizens' health.

Pigs Given Paylean Top the List of Adverse Drug Reactions by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 20120228
Death, Recumbency, Lameness, Hyperactivity, Reluctant To Move, Stiffness, Trembling, Dyspnea, Collapse, Hoof Disorder - a string of words appears in the "Summary Report on Adverse Drug Reactions for Animal Drugs" compiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, as revealed by independent journalist Helena Bottemiller. This report shows that from 1987 to March 31, 2011, the number of adverse reaction reports received for pigs ingesting the leanness-enhancing agent ractopamine reached 218,116, far exceeding the number for ingesting other animal drugs.

Big Reveal! Paylean Is Not Honest; Clues Emerge in an FDA Warning by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.02.22
Although officials and research units believe that Paylean containing the leanness-enhancing agent ractopamine poses a low risk of poisoning to pigs or humans, according to a 14-page warning issued by the U.S. FDA to the pharmaceutical company that produces Paylean, Elanco Animal Health, it criticized Elanco for providing incomplete ractopamine animal experiment data to the FDA, involving concealment. NewsMarket obtained this document and made it public, and, combining relevant domestic and international reports, analyzes the calculations behind ractopamine on the part of the pharmaceutical company.

Government Discussion of Leanness-Enhancing Agents Mistakenly Lumps Humans and Pigs Together! by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.02.17
In assessing the risk of leanness-enhancing agents, the focus should be on "whether long-term human intake of meat with ractopamine residues produces 'adverse reactions,'" which can truly reflect the dietary habits of people's daily lives. So far, no domestic or foreign scientists have been found to conduct research from this angle, and the European Union also uses this to question the insufficiency of relevant experimental data and research reports; with the risk unclear, it does not accept the ractopamine residue tolerance values set by JECFA. Premier Chen Chun and Council of Agriculture officials, in recent interviews, used only "high or low toxicity" to judge whether to open to leanness-enhancing agents, which is like sending Zhang Fei to fight Yue Fei - mistakenly lumping humans and pigs together!

Why Do Leanness-Enhancing Agents Make People Uneasy? by NewsMarket reporter Wang Wen-hao 2012.02.13
When officials and experts explain to citizens that "ractopamine" differs from other leanness-enhancing agents, is low in toxicity, metabolizes quickly, and is relatively safe even if residues remain in meat, reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA show that from 2002 to March 2011, ractopamine had already caused the death or illness of more than 218,000 pigs, a death or illness rate far exceeding that of other animal drugs on the market. In addition, the European Union food safety authority also questions that the number of human trials for "ractopamine" is too few, and that safety remains highly doubtful, so it is unwilling to relax the ban on its use. This information deserves the public's attention.

Public Opinion

21. Zero Detection of Leanness-Enhancing Agents: The EU Model Should Apply Across the Board by Homemakers United Foundation 2012.04.25
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that one dairy cow in California had mad cow disease. According to reports, this has drawn close attention from countries importing U.S. beef, such as Japan and South Korea. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it is assessing the U.S. mad cow disease case and will comment on it. How will Taiwan's relevant ministries respond? Legislator Tien said that besides closely watching mad cow disease in U.S. beef, regarding the government's plan to lift the ban on leanness-enhancing agents, she supports the EU model; the Executive Yuan's version of the draft amendment to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation will uphold conscience to defend citizens' health and be voted on article by article to be accountable to the people.

20. The Good Food War: Some Rumors and Lies About Leanness-Enhancing Agents by Su Wei-shuo 2012.04.11
"Opening to ractopamine residues in meat is our country's commitment to the international community" is a lie spread in the form of a rumor. What makes this lie especially vicious is that it targets Taiwanese people's fear of being excluded by the international community. It is as if Taiwanese people had given some solemn commitment to the international community, and fulfilling this solemn commitment became an obligation of the Taiwanese people, and if it were not fulfilled, disaster would befall them.

19. Two False Propositions About Leanness-Enhancing Agents, and the Real Problem by Sun Qiong-li 2012.03.16
On March 9, William A. Bill Stanton, director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), pointed out directly that Taiwan's livestock products contain more than a hundred kinds of chemicals and additives; on the 12th, the Council of Agriculture and the I-Mei laboratory confirmed that Taiwanese pigs and pork were found to contain Salbutamol; on the 14th, the Council of Agriculture demanded that pig farmers sign "voluntary pledges" not to use leanness-enhancing agents. A series of events, at a time when any slight development on the "leanness-enhancing agent" issue causes great alarm, indeed gives rise to many associations. Sure enough, conspiracy theories arrived, pig farmers' protests were inevitable - "surround the pigs to save the cows?" - and government agencies could only refute rumors.

18. The U.S. Beef Problem Goes Beyond Leanness-Enhancing Agents by Su Chung-ching 2012.03.15
This article was written by Su Chung-ching, emeritus professor in National Taiwan University's Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, and comprehensively analyzes the problems, pros and cons of U.S. beef from a scientific perspective. He points out that U.S. cattle are raised on grains such as corn, which can greatly shorten the time invested in raising them and offers high economic efficiency. However, this also causes cattle to develop lesions, requiring additives such as antibiotics, hormones and leanness-enhancing agents, among which the use of antibiotics is the most serious problem. The author also states that if imports must be opened, the government should formulate standard operating procedures for testing and do a good job of product labeling so as to safeguard citizens' dietary safety.

17. Deep Sound: U.S. Beef and Leanness-Enhancing Agents by Su Bing 2012.03.09
Premier Chen Chun stressed that there would be an expert meeting in early March and an international conference in early April. Does the government really have the determination to safeguard the people institutionally? Or is it merely formally seeking experts to endorse the import of leanness-enhancing agent U.S. beef? Food health issues need more transparency and precise data to win the public's trust.
This episode of Deep Sound invited Professor Chan Chang-chuan, vice dean of National Taiwan University's College of Public Health, who has long cared about public health issues, and Mr. Sun Qiong-li, a Coolloud reporter following the development of U.S. beef, as guests. The content is excellent, and everyone is welcome to listen.

16. Pig Farmers Protest Opening to Toxic Beef; Livestock Industry Players Egg the Council of Agriculture by Lu Yi-rong 2012.03.08
The U.S. beef issue has triggered panic among private pig farmers, who fear that once beef containing ractopamine is opened, pork will be liberalized along with it, severely impacting Taiwan's pig-farming industry. On the 8th, pig farmers from across the country called for a protest in the north; nearly 5,000 pig farmers from all over Taiwan gathered in front of the Council of Agriculture, demanding that Council Chairman Chen Bao-ji come out to talk with them. But because Chen Bao-ji was at the Legislative Yuan for questioning and could not come, the pig farmers were furious, charging the Council of Agriculture several times, even knocking open the barricades; many people were arrested in the clashes.

15. "Ractopamine" Found in U.S. Beef; Traditional Markets Also Affected by Consumers' Foundation 2012.03.08
After excluding 9 samples produced in the United States, there were still 4 meat products produced in Australia and 2 produced in Taiwan, none of which were found to contain "ractopamine." Australia is also a country that permits the use of "ractopamine," with a limit of no more than 50 ppb, showing that "permitting use does not mean it must be used."

14.Risk of Leanness-Enhancing Agents Unclear; Presidential Office One-Sidedly Distorts Experts' Conclusion? by pnn 2012.03.05
Chou Chin-cheng, dean of National Taiwan University's School of Veterinary Medicine, who attended that day, said Ma Ying-jeou's remarks made him very surprised and very regretful, because the conclusion of that day's meeting was clearly "no research report proves it is dangerous, and no research report proves it is safe." Precisely because there was no large-scale epidemiological research, scholars had no consensus and could not discuss it. "I very much regret that the president said this; I do not know who gave him the information - the Council of Agriculture chairman?" Chou Chin-cheng questioned.

13. The Third Expert Meeting on Leanness-Enhancing Agents Took Place Yesterday, Amending and Overturning Previous Conclusions by pnn 2012.03.03
The third expert meeting on U.S. beef was held yesterday afternoon (3/3), and for the first time was "opened to broadcast," letting the media and the public understand the decision-making process. The meeting overturned and amended part of the conclusions of the second expert meeting, including deleting "one would have to eat 500 kg of U.S. beef for ractopamine to remain in the body" and "because of the high metabolic rate, it will not accumulate in the body"; in addition, "for more than a decade no report has pointed out that eating it is dangerous" was amended to "no report points out that eating it is dangerous, and no report points out that eating it is safe."

12. We Should Consider the "Necessity" of Leanness-Enhancing Agents, Not Their "Safety"by Chang Chao-chin 2012.02.27
Whether the use of leanness-enhancing agents is harmful to humans still lacks scientific evidence to this day. For drugs with the same action, "why can the more toxic one be used in asthma medication, but not as a feed additive for pigs and cattle?" The main reason is that leanness-enhancing agents are currently used in animals only for a "short period before market." Once their meat goes on the market, we may face the risk of "daily exposure." Moreover, is there a "necessity" to use leanness-enhancing agents in raising animals? If their use can be avoided, why accept it?

11. Reject Problematic U.S. Beef Invading Our Doors! The Common Position of Taiwan's Civil Society Groups by Consumers' Foundation, Chinese Taipei 2012.02.20
The Consumers' Foundation, Chinese Taipei, today (2/20) issued a press release, pointing out that the risks of U.S. beef are vivid before our eyes; risks such as leanness-enhancing agents, growth hormones, E. coli O157... are all related to large-scale production in the U.S. livestock industry, which fails to pay attention to safety and hygiene and cannot rigorously inspect and safeguard. The Consumers' Foundation and multiple civil society groups jointly assert that the government must strictly safeguard the gate, and call on operators and consumers to unite and express the people's solemn position of "defending the right to health and rejecting problematic U.S. beef from invading our doors!"

10. The Leanness-Enhancing Agent Controversy: A Cloak of Science or Politicians Fooling the People? Also on the Smokescreen Effect of the Topic by Guan Yu 2012-02-19
Facing endless food safety problems, regarding several threats more urgent than leanness-enhancing agents (including growth hormones, antibiotic misuse and heavy metals), have the heads of the Council of Agriculture, Department of Health and Environmental Protection Administration ever properly reviewed the current gaps under their purview and quickly established a working system to "safeguard the people's health"?

09. Four Reasons Not to Eat U.S. Beef: Unveiling the Truth That "U.S. Beef Is Not Beautiful" by The Journalist Lin Ying-chiu 2012.02.18
Taiwanese people love to eat U.S. beef, but U.S. beef is so unsettling. Rather than pinning their hopes on the government to strictly safeguard the gate, consumers should, for the sake of their own health, step forward to protect their right to "eat safely," and figure out why "U.S. beef is not beautiful" and not worth risking their lives to eat, given the lingering shadow of mad cow disease.

08. Even Elementary School Students Can Understand: 10 Reasons to Reject Paylean/Leanness-Enhancing Agents! by BillyPan 2012.02, 17
Opening imports of Paylean meat products will, in the short term, make people afraid to eat pork and cause pork prices to plummet. In the long term, this foreign pork is a form of unfair competition for Taiwan's pig farmers (U.S. Paylean pork is very low-priced), which will end up forcing Taiwan's pig farmers to use Paylean; even the feed would have to be imported from the United States, and they would have to buy instruments to test ractopamine residue values (MRLs), which would increase pig farmers' expenses. In fact, Taiwan's current pig-farming methods are both safe and sufficient to meet the needs of Taiwan's domestic market; Taiwan pork is even exported, and prices are reasonable. Taiwan simply does not need Paylean pork.

07. Our 5 Major Reasons for Opposing Leanness-Enhancing Agents in U.S. Beef: A Statement by the Taiwan Rural Front by Taiwan Rural Front 2012.02.15
The Taiwan Rural Front points out that if U.S. beef containing leanness-enhancing agents is opened to imports, it will cause three major harms: citizens will be plunged into unpredictable health risks, the abuse of leanness-enhancing agents will break down the domestic livestock industry, and hastily signing TIFA will severely damage Taiwan's agriculture and livestock industries. Based on 5 major reasons, the Taiwan Rural Front asserts that before the health risks to citizens and the threats to the agriculture and livestock industries are resolved, imports of U.S. beef containing leanness-enhancing agents (Paylean) should not be hastily opened.

06. Rejecting Leanness-Enhancing Agents Is Our Right to Health! by Clitier Chen 2012.02.14
Many people question that whether to open to leanness-enhancing agents is not as simple as "whether it can be added" or "whether to import"; it is a complex issue tied to diplomacy and trade policy. But for all citizens, this is simply the purest food safety issue. When we emphasize returning to natural diets and eating fewer additives, why not maintain the insistence on "zero leanness-enhancing agents" held for more than a decade? Just how great is the risk brought by opening to leanness-enhancing agents? The "Leanness-Enhancing Agent Q&A" compiled in this article lets you understand it all at once!

05. This Thing Called "Paylean" by Peng Ming-hui
Leanness-enhancing agents belong to the class of beta-agonists, which can promote protein synthesis, make pigs grow more lean meat, and thereby reduce the amount of feed protein used and lower costs. Thus, the reason many countries open to the use of leanness-enhancing agents is to serve the interests of livestock farmers while disregarding consumer health. Human knowledge of Paylean's effects is extremely poor, and we know nothing at all about whether Paylean harms pregnant women, children, the elderly, the weak and the sick!

04. Left and Right View: Leanness-Enhancing Agent U.S. Beef, U.S. Imperialism Pressures Again by Chen Si-ying, Luo Shan-na
The health concerns over leanness-enhancing agent U.S. beef are inevitably very important. Even if there is no scientific evidence proving that leanness-enhancing agents affect health, there is also no evidence proving that leanness-enhancing agents are completely safe; therefore, adopting the "precautionary principle" to keep them outside the border is the best way to protect citizens' right to health. How to at the same time find a way to avoid U.S. political coercion while also taking regional economic development into account is what political decision-makers should do.

03. The "Fast-Raising" Logic of U.S. Beef by Lihpao
To catalyze cattle's feed-to-meat conversion rate, U.S. livestock farmers commonly use leanness-enhancing agents. Farmers directly feed animals with leanness-enhancing agents, and the suffering endured by pigs' and cattle's bodies is even harder for us to imagine. And the source of all this suffering, which may be shared between humans and animals, is merely the operators' consideration of interests: shortening the raising period, lowering costs, increasing the feed-to-meat conversion rate, getting livestock to market sooner, and getting cash sooner. This logic of "fast raising" in exchange for "quick money" precisely highlights the cruelest side of the capitalist system. That is, in pursuit of the fastest and largest profits, the suffering of animals, human health and the destruction of the living environment can all be used as the price.

02. The Pandemonium of U.S. Beef by The Sky of Gene
Behind U.S. beef is a tangle of domestic U.S. commercial and political interests. Sick U.S. beef is not just meat. Sick U.S. beef has rich marbling, but its fat is not only extremely harmful fat for health, it is also an artificial petrochemical product refined from petroleum!

01. The Scientific Basis of <The Pandemonium of U.S. Beef> by The Sky of Gene
The risk of eating U.S. bone-in beef, beef offal and ground beef cannot be assessed with 100% accuracy either, but it is estimated to be about four, twenty and seven hundred times the risk of eating U.S. boneless beef, respectively. Although the risk of contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) from eating U.S. bone-in beef, beef offal and ground beef may also be quite slight and approach zero, it is recommended to avoid or consume only small amounts. I oppose the import of U.S. bone-in beef, beef offal and ground beef into Taiwan based on a public health standpoint. That is, I hope to reduce the risk to the minimum; if imports can be avoided, it would absolutely be a better policy.

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