If consumers knew of the filth in many poultry-processing plants and the likelihood that the chicken they buy is contaminated or diseased, many USDA inspectors say, they would think twice before buying it. Has a move to ward industry self-inspection meant that a USDA stamp of approval is no longer reassuring?
Even as it disappears, the “bomb spike” is revealing the ways humans have reshaped the planet.
Our food system could have been so different.