Chinese Beef and Pork Contaminated with Steroids

[Mark H]

Saw this interesting article in the Globe and Mail about Chinese Beef and Pork producers using the steroid Clenbuterol to increase lean meat production. This steroid is used by asthmatics and is easily obtained in wholesale quantities. The article is at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/lean-meat-toxin-persists-in-chinese-pork-beef-despite-bans/article1880714/

 

[knabe]

a much bigger problem than E. coli which can be solved with irradiation (choice, which we can't have for some reason)

 

[Shady Lane]

Were there not  legal actions taken against steer jocks 10 years ago or so regarding Clenbuterol use in show steers?


I seem to remember reading something about that.

 

[JSchroeder]

It was 1995.

 

[chambero]

At one time it was used in beef raised in Europe I know.  That's how it got in use in steers over here in the mid 90s.

 

[Mark H]

I made a mistake; Clenbuterol is not a steroid. I was confused by a couple bad references. I checked some drug manuals and it is a Beta 2 agonist much like caffeine.
The main point is this: What does this do for feed efficiency? I mean it will melt the fat off leaving a lean product but that has an energy cost ( feed). Not to mention the obvious food safety issues. It would seems to me that better genetics and feed technology are needed ASAP.

 

[knabe]

double muscling works better