Meat Safety Chief Wants to Toughen E. Coli Tests

The current head of meat safety for the Bush administration wants to significantly expand E. coli tests, and to increase the number of dangerous strains that the tests cover. What’s this, a sudden attack of conscience in the final throes of a lame duck presidency? Naturally, the beef industry is uncooperative. “Screw the public. We couldn’t care less if people die in pools of bloody diarrhea,” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a statement. OK, I made that last sentence up. Link.