Super cheap ground beef - Page 2

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by ParisApril

Because in order to make money farmers and producers have to cut costs. These animals are supposed to live for 20 years live only 6 years because of the poor diet they are fed. If you are okay eating that meat, fine with me.

Information IMO will always be a good thing. A good book on the current food system works is The End of Food by Paul Roberts.

They only live 6 years because then it's time to 'cull' them. They have ended the 'useful' period of their lives. Very few domesticated animals, worldwide, live to their potential ages. It's not cost effective to raise all your animals to an old age. Meat chickens are killed when they've reached their maximum weight to feed ratio. Any more and you are 'losing' time and money. Once a chicken loses its laying abilities, it's time for soup. It's the way it has always been and will continue to be. Wild animals rarely make it to their age potential either. I'm not saying their current diet is ideal, but it's not true that they die young because of it--they die young eating good feed or bad feed.

Ami

[ediesmom]

Originally Posted by ParisApril

Because in order to make money farmers and producers have to cut costs. These animals are supposed to live for 20 years live only 6 years because of the poor diet they are fed. If you are okay eating that meat, fine with me.

Information IMO will always be a good thing. A good book on the current food system works is The End of Food by Paul Roberts.

the ? was supposed to be a !


i wouldn't feed that to my dogs....ever. i prefer to eat vegetable products for my protein, but do eat organic free range certified humane eggs.....and beef thats organic and farm raised free range.....local.

i eat very little meat, but i think its important to be able to say how and where i get meat from and why. a vegetarian doesn't have the same leverage. a conscious meat eater can argue why small farms, organic and free range local are important to the environment, animals....and personal karma.

you are what you eat. totally. and i am unwilling to eat something so scared, so abused and neglected....and then expect it to nourish me! fat chance.



so...it was meant to say....and this is why!

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

They only live 6 years because then it's time to 'cull' them. They have ended the 'useful' period of their lives. Very few domesticated animals, worldwide, live to their potential ages. It's not cost effective to raise all your animals to an old age. Meat chickens are killed when they've reached their maximum weight to feed ratio. Any more and you are 'losing' time and money. Once a chicken loses its laying abilities, it's time for soup. It's the way it has always been and will continue to be. Wild animals rarely make it to their age potential either. I'm not saying their current diet is ideal, but it's not true that they die young because of it--they die young eating good feed or bad feed.

Ami

True enough they cull them when they are fat and ready. However from what I have read these animals would not survive for very long beyond that age anyway being fed a standard factory farm diet.

My point is about the quality of this meat.

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by ediesmom

the ? was supposed to be a !


i wouldn't feed that to my dogs....ever. i prefer to eat vegetable products for my protein, but do eat organic free range certified humane eggs.....and beef thats organic and farm raised free range.....local.

i eat very little meat, but i think its important to be able to say how and where i get meat from and why. a vegetarian doesn't have the same leverage. a conscious meat eater can argue why small farms, organic and free range local are important to the environment, animals....and personal karma.

you are what you eat. totally. and i am unwilling to eat something so scared, so abused and neglected....and then expect it to nourish me! fat chance.



so...it was meant to say....and this is why!

And my dander was up! It seems we think exactly a like when it comes to our food. I couldn't have written it better myself!

[newbymom05]

Please read that NYT link--it isn't that there's snout in the ground beef, it's that there's fecal matter. e coli can cause sickness, paralysis, death. The big packers forbid the slaughterhouses from testing individual lots and will delay a recall while they wait for the evidence to disappear, ie be eaten. Totally gross. I'd rather get brisket on sale (from whatever source) and have them grind it up while I wait. And make sure to cook your burger extra well--to sterilize the poop. That's in your food. That the USDA doesn't seem able to do anything about.

To me it isn't about animal rights or snouts or WalMart is evil. It's about cow feces in my burger.

[ediesmom]

Originally Posted by newbymom05

To me it isn't about animal rights or snouts or WalMart is evil. It's about cow feces in my burger.

i can see that

[gentlemango]

Right. I don't care about snouts and hooves. It's the feces smeared meat that makes me wish I had never seen that video. Yuck.

Spinoff thread: Other cheap protein sources for your family? My kiddo won't touch beans.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by gentlemango

Spinoff thread: Other cheap protein sources for your family? My kiddo won't touch beans.

If you read the NY Times article, it mentions that Costco does a "double test" of their hamburger (for e-coli). So I'd feel better about buying hamburger there than, say, Walmart. Also smaller is better--so any local dairies selling hamburger would be a safer choice.

[Selesai]

This thread is about ground beef prices for people who need to know where to get inexpensive ground beef, not about animal rights or the food system. Right?

And I prefer organic grassfed dry aged beef too. But I also prefer to keep a roof over my head, my debts paid, and my children clothed. I wish I didn't have to make a choice between those things, but I do.

[Yooper]

Originally Posted by Selesai

This thread is about ground beef prices for people who need to know where to get inexpensive ground beef, not about animal rights or the food system. Right?

And I prefer organic grassfed dry aged beef too. But I also prefer to keep a roof over my head, my debts paid, and my children clothed. I wish I didn't have to make a choice between those things, but I do.

But it is not "cheaper" if you get sick. Pile on some medical bills and some lost work time and that can be some spendy food. So, I do think it is pertinent. Especially when there are other cheap foods that carry a much lower risk of illness.

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by Yooper

But it is not "cheaper" if you get sick. Pile on some medical bills and some lost work time and that can be some spendy food. So, I do think it is pertinent. Especially when there are other cheap foods that carry a much lower risk of illness.

And spinach carries e.coli too. Organic foods can be contaminated. Everything can be. As long as they handle the beef well and cook it thoroughly, everyone should be fine. Well done makes all the difference. And it's not just ground beef. Chicken and eggs are contaminated with salmonella. Cheese that isn't hard can have listeria. Etc, etc, etc.

I'm not worried about e.coli in my meat, the same way I'm not worried about salmonella on my eggs. First, there's little I can do to prevent it. All that lovely organic meat is also processed in nasty slaughterhouses. Even if you get it from the farmer, they have to use the same slaughterhouses as the big corporate ranchers. Secondly, cooking all foods thoroughly takes care of those germs. I do wish for more stringent testing and higher cleanliness standards, and a slower rate of slaughter (would cut down on a lot of cross-contamination). But saying there are cheaper and better foods out there is a bit of a red herring.

Ami

[annettemarie]

Mamas, I like a good Walmart smackdown as much as the next mod, but I really need to ask you all to abide by the UA. I'm about to take my little ones trick or treating, so I'm giving you all a chance to edit, but I'll be back later to remove any posts that are personal attacks, adversarial, taking issue, etc. I would much rather you all police yourselves.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Selesai

And I prefer organic grassfed dry aged beef too.

There are more than two choices.....organic or Walmart.


As I mentioned, Costco (if you have one nearby and happen to have a membership) still has cheap hamburger, but it is tested more than Walmart hamburger is.

[nichole]

Thanks for posting this, original poster.

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

First, there's little I can do to prevent it. All that lovely organic meat is also processed in nasty slaughterhouses. Even if you get it from the farmer, they have to use the same slaughterhouses as the big corporate ranchers.
Ami

This has very much not been my experience. The vast majority of my household meat was processed at a local locker. The one main exception to that is the chicken we eat. We go to the farm and help the farmer butcher one weekend every summer. The locker employs just a few people (who all seem to like their jobs). My DH has had many conversations with the owner. I feel I can go and check out the locker just as I could check out the farm where my meat is raised. They also are highly skilled and get the order right every time. I also know the meat came from the animal I purchased not 100 cows all mixed together. Anyway all meat is not the processed the same way anymore than it is raised the same.

And before I get branded as an elitist that pays $75 a pork chop. We paid about $1.25 per lbs for the last 1/2 of a hog we bought and they also take food stamps. There are other choices in the marketplace.

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by Selesai

This thread is about ground beef prices for people who need to know where to get inexpensive ground beef, not about animal rights or the food system. Right?

And I prefer organic grassfed dry aged beef too. But I also prefer to keep a roof over my head, my debts paid, and my children clothed. I wish I didn't have to make a choice between those things, but I do.

Many times I've had to make the choice of living indoors or putting food on the table... I hope never to have to make that choice again....

[annettemarie]

Thread closed pending review.

[annettemarie]

Okey dokey, we're reopening.

We've discussed it, and we're not going to restrict the conversation. There's an ethical side to frugality, as well as health considerations, and it can certainly be a respectful part of the conversation. Likewise, the question of whether certain attitudes (attitudes, not people) are classist/elitist can be respectfully discussed.

Please carry on the conversation without personally attacking or taking issue with other members, keeping the User Agreement in mind:

Do not post in a disrespectful, defamatory, adversarial, baiting, harassing, offensive, insultingly sarcastic or otherwise improper manner, toward a member or other individual, including casting of suspicion upon a person, invasion of privacy, humiliation, demeaning criticism, name-calling, personal attack or in any way which violates the law.

If you feel someone else's post violates the UA, please report it and let us be the bad guys.

Thanks, and feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.

[Alyantavid]

First, I don't buy grocery store meat or shop at Walmart so I certainly wouldn't go for this deal, no matter how good it is.

Originally Posted by mnnice

This has very much not been my experience. The vast majority of my household meat was processed at a local locker. The one main exception to that is the chicken we eat. We go to the farm and help the farmer butcher one weekend every summer. The locker employs just a few people (who all seem to like their jobs). My DH has had many conversations with the owner. I feel I can go and check out the locker just as I could check out the farm where my meat is raised. They also are highly skilled and get the order right every time. I also know the meat came from the animal I purchased not 100 cows all mixed together. Anyway all meat is not the processed the same way anymore than it is raised the same.

And before I get branded as an elitist that pays $75 a pork chop. We paid about $1.25 per lbs for the last 1/2 of a hog we bought and they also take food stamps. There are other choices in the marketplace.

I really do think you should be able to know, not only where your meat was raised, but where it was processed. There are tons of small butcher shops that are perfectly fine with people coming in and checking it out. The one we use is very small and does an amazing job. In my experience, they aren't the ones who advertise.

I totally agree with the pp that said there's more choices than organic and Walmart.

[crunchy_mama]

I do appreciate the fact that certainly we cannot afford the highest quality. This summer and fall especially we had to get a good amount of nasty grocery store meat as unfortunately a vegetarian diet makes me sick. It is a horrible position to be in and I truly feel for anyone there. My dh has been blessed w/ overtime recently so will be getting a part of a grassfed cow here in a couple of weeks and I am soooo very excited to be getting out of the grocery store for meat. Plus, it is hunting season as well. However, I know we are blessed to have that option. And unfortunately for those on fs- none of the local farmers accept fs. So, I can get my nice local raised grassfed beef for about $3.60 lb- steaks included w/ free soup bones and tallow- which is not quite cheap store prices, but certainly not bad.

Another option around here- I am sure not everywhere though- anyway the farm where I buy chickens they now have the option of helping to butcher and having that come off of your total. One lady came every single butchering day and then only got as many chickens as she worked to pay off- so other than the initial small deposit she got them for free. Still doesn't help w/ the fs, but drastically cuts the cost. I went to 2 butchering days myself, but it wasn't cost effective for me to go more due to the gas and also I was about 6 months pregnant on the last I went to and that was about as big as I would want to be- with all the standing and the long work w/ little breaks-

Originally Posted by mnnice

This has very much not been my experience. The vast majority of my household meat was processed at a local locker. The one main exception to that is the chicken we eat. We go to the farm and help the farmer butcher one weekend every summer. The locker employs just a few people (who all seem to like their jobs). My DH has had many conversations with the owner. I feel I can go and check out the locker just as I could check out the farm where my meat is raised. They also are highly skilled and get the order right every time. I also know the meat came from the animal I purchased not 100 cows all mixed together. Anyway all meat is not the processed the same way anymore than it is raised the same.

And before I get branded as an elitist that pays $75 a pork chop. We paid about $1.25 per lbs for the last 1/2 of a hog we bought and they also take food stamps. There are other choices in the marketplace.

That is my experience as well. We help butcher the chickens ourselves- at the little farm I buy them from. Our other meat would be venison- butchered ourselves, or taken to a small butcher shop which is open for all to see everything when you go inside. Beef and pork I have gotten in the past has also been butchered at small local places. And you do get the animal you paid for, not just a random animal.