BUT DO THE HIPPES UNDERSTAND?

Meg at megnut has made such a good point about this New York Times article about “vaccinating” for E.coli., that I am harboring jealous feelings that I didn’t come up with it first. So, because I can’t take credit for it, this is what she said:

“Scientists Look to Vaccines in the War on E. Coli states "cows and their manure are considered the major sources of the pathogen" but in two pages of this New York Times article there isn't a single mention of the fact that E. Coli grows in the gut of corn-fed cows, but not in grass-fed cows. Instead of switching cows to a natural diet of grass, here are the solutions under consideration to protect us from E. Coli: feeding cows sodium chlorate, a chemical used in the pulp and paper industry; probiotics, which are good bacteria; phages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria; and E. Coli vaccines for people and for cattle.

The only sensible thing in the entire article was this quote from Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “What really is a concern to me about this issue is we always have a tendency to want high-tech responses to what in many cases are common-sense low-tech solutions.”

I hate it when I’m not first, but she is absolutely right. So much of what she is saying about current food regulations can be said about so many government programs, such a campaign finance and EVERY tax law. It’s broken, don’t try to fix it with “new and improved” versions. Get rid of all the garbage and let nature and/or the free market take care of it.
(Cross posted at my food blog melsdiner)