APRIL FOOLS ROUNDUP

Putting this post up as April 1, since that's when I rounded these stories up for posting, but didn't actually get them online then. Tough. Gotta clear these out before I can get to the more recent stuff. So a bunch of semi-random quick hits...

3/24: Beef recall case: Cattle abuse wasn't a rare occurrence "More than 10% of the humane-slaughter violations issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the 18 months ended March 2004 detailed improper treatment of animals that couldn't walk - mostly cattle... The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said in a 2004 report that humane violations are likely under-reported because USDA inspectors miss them."

3/28: Italy recalls contaminated mozzarella cheese Italy ordered a recall on Friday of mozzarella cheese potentially contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, as a widening health scare tainted the reputation of one of its best-known culinary products.

3/30: Impact of meat recall beginning to show "The full costs of the biggest beef recall ever are beginning to emerge six weeks later and they are hitting retailers, meat processors, other businesses and the government." And by "the government," they of course mean, "by you, the taxpayer."
And: "The USDA says it will seek restitution from Westland/Hallmark. The firm has laid off its 200 workers and isn't expected to reopen." Uh huh. And so the firm is going to come up with that restitution, the money it owes us taxpayers, how exactly?

3/26 Buried lede: "Roughly 1.4 million American children younger than 18 - and 11 percent of girls between 13 and 17 - identify themselves as vegetarians or vegans, according to the American Dietetic Association." Don't remember seeing this stat before. More than one in ten teenage girls is vegetarian. Interesting.