QUESTION 3A
DISCUSS IN DETAIL THE ORGANISATION OF MEAT INSPECTION IN MALAWI
Contaminated meat is a source of infection for human beings. So inspection of all food animals is required in making sure that Malawians are provided with the best and safe meat and meat products. The aim of meat inspection is to provide safe and wholesome meat for Malawian consumers. The inspection is organised in such a way that food animals are monitored for diseases that can causes sickness in people when they eat the meat. So for safe and wholesome meat all food animals should undergo all the stages of meat inspection of ante mortem and post-mortem. Through these inspection stages of meat people will be assured of safe and wholesome
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According to Bergh (2007) ante mortem is defined as the procedure which is conducted in the slaughter house to evaluate a live food animal that will be slaughtered and dressed with the purpose of giving an opinion about its health status. According to Herenda (2000) the objectives of ante mortem inspection are to screen all food animals before slaughtering them; the other objective is to ensure that animals are properly rested and that proper clinical information, which will assist in the disease diagnosis and judgement is obtained; the other objective is to reduce contamination on the killing floor by separating the dirty animals and condemning the diseased animals if required by regulation; the other objective of ante mortem is to ensure the injured or those with pain and those suffering should receive emergency slaughter and that animals are treated humanely; the other is to identify reportable animal diseases to prevent killing floor contamination; it also helps to identify sick animals and those being treated with antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, insecticide and pesticides and to ensure that the cleaning and disinfection of trucks used transport livestock is …show more content…
Post mortem inspection according to FAO (2008) is the examination of the carcass after dressing is done to detect any abnormalities so that the meat is conditionally fit for human consumption. All the carcass portions are kept together and correlated for inspection before they are removed from the slaughter floor. Post mortem inspection according to WHO (2009) should provide necessary information needed for scientific evaluation of the pathological lesions pertinent to the wholesomeness of the meat. Here meat inspectors should inspect the lesions by palpating the lesions and various areas of the meat and then should be classified into categories of acute or chronic and classify carcass condition as localised or generalised and the extent of the carcass systematic changes noted (WHO, 2009). Primary and systematic pathological lesions and their relevance to major organs and system especially the liver, kidneys, heart, spleen and lymphatic system samples should be submitted to laboratory for diagnostic assessment and the affected carcass is held and
The beginning of Meat Inspection Act seemed to be at 1904, after “The Jungle” of Sinclair published. In fact, it started twenty years earlier, the regular law, used to satisfy Europe, the largest meat export market, but in 1865 Congress passed an act to prevent the importation of diseased cattle and pigs. Because of disease, European like Italian, French, and English restricted or banned the importation meat, and they turned to another supplier. Some bills were introduced but they failed to gather sufficient support. May 1884, Bureau of Animal Industry was established, it was doing good job in fighting Europe restrictions, helping the packers, but not helping the domestic consumers. March 1891, the first major meat inspection law was passed; some country removed the prohibitions on importing American pork. It distressed the European packing industry as well. So, they imposed more standards. Government had to do more action; major percent meat slaughtered was inspected. Some of companies exploited the law, but most of them, especially big companies agreed with the committee in 1902. In 1904, Smith, who was a great information aid to Sinclair, published a series of articles in The Lancet...
The year 1906 brought about a new era in governmental legislation that helped to shape the way privately owned producers of consumable goods would conduct themselves in the future. President Theodore Roosevelt, a man known for his tenaciousness when tackling the issues of the people, pursued these legislative changes, refusing to back down to the lobbyists who stood in his way. One such industry brought to its knees was the meat packing industry, a thriving group of companies that supplied not only the United States but also the markets in Europe with processed foods.
In all cases in which the cause of death cannot be determined, a medico-legal autopsy is done. In a nutshell, a medico-legal autopsy serves to help explain a legal question surrounding the death in question e.g. is the manner of death natural, unnatural or undetermined? Was someone else involved? What were the circumstances leading to death? Therefore, in addition to the results and findings of the autopsy, other findings such as those from the crime scene also play big role in helping to determine what really happened.
Most of us do not think twice about the foods we pick up from the supermarket. Many Americans have a preconceived belief that the food being sold to us is safe, and withholds the highest standard of quality. Certainly, compared to many places in the world, this is true. But is the United States sincerely trying to carry out these standards, or have we begun to see a reverse in the health and safety of our food- and more explicitly in our meat? Jonathan Foer, author of “Eating Animals” argues for reform within the food industry- not only for the humane treatment of animals but moreover for our own health. Although Foer exposes the ills within the food industries in order to persuade readers to change their diets for the better, his “vegetarianism or die” assessment may be too extreme for most Americans. The true ills do not start with the meat, but with industrialized production of it through methods practiced by factory farming.
Wound specimen vary from crime scene to crime scene such as; gunshot wound, stab wounds, defense wounds, rape wounds, blows from blunt objects, poisoning, strangulation, hanging, burns, explosions, electrocution, lightning, burning, hanging, and smothering, just to name a few. There are numerous classifications of wounds, most of which can let qualified investigators know more about the manner of death. Forensic pathologists' have the role in investigating medical examination of the body. They also assist investigation by relating the evidence to the autopsy findings. They will examine the wound, and tell if it was inflicted the wound and what instrument caused it. Pretty much all of the evidence that guide the examiner to consummate that the death was murder also allows for it to be sustainable evidence for the investigation and prosecuting the case; so that pathologists and investigators work closely together (Orthman-Hess, 2013).
When a person's body decomposes after death, it goes through a series of stages involving different chemical changes that cause it to change its appareance. Observing these changes can help forensic scientists determine the post-mortem interval (or time since death), which is very important when it comes to investigating unnatural deaths.
Enforcing simple things like hand washing and requiring the use of hairnets were unheard of. Therefore the meat was often contaminated with sweat, dirt, and human hair. Many changes needed to be made this industry such as hiring more meat inspectors to check the condition of the meat before being sent to sell. Most important improve personal hygiene conditions and enforcing rules on it. This will help prevent diseases being passed on and contaminating meat products. Also changing the safety conditions and compensating workers from accidents caused during work and for
Forensic entomology is the learning of all types of insects and how they connect with criminal investigation. Forensic entomology can tell us how long since the offspring’s death which is known as postmortem interval (PMI) and whether the body has been relocated since putting one foot in the grave, and what injuries it may have suffered. At the start of decomposition, insects launch a new community by hatching eggs on the remains; the eggs will emerge into cankers (larvae) that will graze upon the human organs and tissues. A Forensic entomologists can figure out what specific bugs are presently in the body and gauge how long the body has been left unprotected by investigating how far along the cankers have come; although, what is found isn’t
The abuse of livestock is a widespread problem that affects everyone who buys and consumes meat products. Most people are not even aware of how slaughter-destined animals are treated while alive, what chemicals are forced into their bodies, what they are forced to eat, and how they are slaughtered. Fortunately, an increasing number of slaughter plants and small farms have been conforming to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA), after it was passed in 1958, and amended to be fully enforced in 2002, but there are still slaughter plants that abuse, neglect, and provide poor conditions for livestock (“Humane” Animal). When looking at the realities of mass producing meat and animal products, two serious problems arise: the quality of life for the animals, and the possible negative health effects for the people who consume these products.
One reason for this problem was that there was no real inspection of the meat. A quote from “The Jungle” tells of a government inspector checking the hogs for Tuberculosis, “This government inspector did not have a manner of a man who was worked to death; he was apparently not haunted by a fear that the hog might get by before he had finished his testing. If you were a sociable person, he was quite willing to enter into conversation with you and to explain the deadly nature of the ptomaines which are found in tubercular pork; and while he was talking with you you could hardly be so ungrateful to notice that a dozen carcasses were passing him untouched.”# This obviously led to tubercular meat being processed in the packing house. Another problem was the incredible lack of sanitation and the use of spoiled meat, another quote from “The Jungle” tells of how dirty it was in these plants “There would be meat stored in gre...
Meat has become a part of our culture in our country, where it is expected as part of each meal of the day. But the production of the meat raises questions on whether eating meat is ethical in people’s eyes. Studies in recent years have shown that the growing impact of our meat eating culture, has negatively affected different aspects around us. The problem is not about whether people should or should not eat meat, but that we should focus on how the production of meat can have negative affects and how we can limit those problems.
Is it morally permissible to eat meat? Much argument has arisen in the current society on whether it is morally permissible to eat meat. Many virtuous fruitarians and the other meat eating societies have been arguing about the ethics of eating meat (which results from killing animals). The important part of the dispute is based on the animal welfare, nutrition value from meat, convenience, and affordability of meat-based foods compared to vegetable-based foods and other factors like environmental moral code, culture, and religion. All these points are important in justifying whether humans are morally right when choosing to eat meat. This paper will argue that it is morally impermissible to eat meat by focusing on the treatment of animals, the environmental argument, animal rights, pain, morals, religion, and the law.
The third weakness is the fact that food tests, inspections, and the detection of contaminants are taken seriously only after an outbreak of some food-borne diseases, food poisoning, or deaths. The increase in the number of food establishments or outlets such as cold stores, hypermarkets, and supermarkets reported by the Public Health Director has also made inspection and control mo...
Several points were also discussed within this chapter. Fifty years as the span of appropriate period wherein investigation of deaths is possible. Also, decedents are defined as skeletons of deceased persons. Lastly, forensic anthropologists’ modern and traditional roles were discussed within this chapter.
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)