The number of the COVID-19 cases in meat processing plants in the United States is staggering. The Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota has had 783 workers testing positive and 2 fatalities.
The U.S. count is 2,200 confirmed cases among workers at 48 plants.
Even Canada has been hit with cases in the Cargill plant in High River, Alberta that closed. There has been a single death attributed to COVID-19 from that plant.
Instead of ramping up protection from workers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture relaxed safety and oversight, allowing 15 poultry plants to exceed federal limits on the number of birds processed per minute.
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Andrew Zimmern pointed out in his recent MSNBC series What's Eating America about the large presence of immigrants involved in meat processing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a 15-page memo that the workers at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls were getting information in English even though the workers speak about 40 languages.
There has also been tremendous pressure to keep the plants open. The workers felt pressure to show up, given how easily they could be fired from their low-paying jobs.
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Consumers might experience a downturn in meat availability at some point, perhaps. The temptation to hoard meat like toilet paper should be resisted for a number of reasons.
Factor in that restaurants are using a lot less meat, even if they are open for to-go orders.
There may be a saving grace on the way, depending on which way the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic goes. May usually brings farmers markets to the United States and other Northern Hemisphere countries. Local farmers aren't dealing with those gigantic meat processing plants.
After all, the shortages might come from those plants. If you aren't buying your meat from those plants, the shortages won't be an issue. Buying local gives you a better product with little to no stress. Better raised meat has lots of advantages. In a pandemic, your friends might pay more than usual but you will have better meat.
If your community doesn't ease into farmers markets, you can likely deal with local farmers on meat CSAs (community supported agriculture) or sites where you can pick up meat from local farmers. Know your farmer! This is why we say that is so important.
We emphasize local but you could think about prosciutto from Italy or steaks from New Zealand.
You could switch to seafood for awhile. Seafood production may run into COVID-19 related issues but may not be as bad as the meat processing plants.
You can also eat less meat. This isn't what Americans want to hear. If you are making burgers, use mushrooms as 25% of your burger material. Figure instead of a pound of meat, use 3/4 pound of meat with 1/4 pound of sliced mushrooms. Similar meaty taste with more nutrition. Save that extra 1/4 pound of beef for Taco Tuesday night.
Cheaper cuts of beef that you might have ignored might become your friend. Cost is sadly important for a lot of people. You have less money but more time to figure out how to use those cuts to feed your family.
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Meat has been seen as a standard of success at the dinner table for hundreds of years. This pandemic won't change that dynamic.
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Unlike pandemics of the past, we are more aware of meatless alternatives. Meat doesn't have to be the star of the table. Think of meat as a character actor that can do so many different things well. An Oscar for Best Supporting Actor is still an Oscar.
Having more time to cook allows you to be more creative with where meat stands in your food lineup. You might even learn some new tricks for when the pandemic subsides.
photos credit: The Rachel Maddow Show/MSNBC; me
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