Thirty members of Congress are calling on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to set the record straight and educate consumers about the safety of lean finely textured beef (LFTB).
“We have been watching with great concern as this campaign of misinformation has unfolded and have been particularly concerned about the loss of jobs that’s resulted from it. No company should be forced to close its doors due to a smear campaign by a few overzealous individuals in the media. LFTB is a safe product and should be promoted as such,” said the letter sent from lawmakers to Vilsack.
According to the lawmakers the product’s safety record and the potential impact this controversy may have on the pocketbooks of middle class Americans have been largely ignored by those leading what they termed a “campaign of misinformation.”
“There are already indications that attacks on LFTB will cause the price of beef to rise across the nation. This isn’t just a problem for those who produce beef; every American who buys beef could end up being harmed by this information,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers requested that Vilsack provide them with the steps USDA plans to take to set the record straight and stressed the importance of working together to combat current misperceptions.
“We agree with you that consumers should always have the ability to exercise choice in the marketplace. However, in the current environment of rampant and intentional mischaracterization and misinformation, it is incumbent on all of us to ensure consumers are able to make choices that are based on facts, rather than emotion and hysteria,” the letter concluded.
To view the letter, go to http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/77168. For more information about the LFTB issue, visit our sister publication, BEEF magazine at http://beefmagazine.com/lean-finely-textured-beef.