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About Mad Cow Disease

Formally known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), “Mad Cow Disease” is a persistent food safety concern in the U.S. and abroad. BSE occurs when cattle are fed rendered meat products made from other dead, disabled or diseased cattle or sheep as a feed supplement -- or when chickens are fed rendered animals and their manure is mixed into cattle feed.

Tissue from infected cows’ central nervous systems (including brain or spinal cord) is the most infectious part of a cow. Such tissue may be found in hot dogs, taco fillings, bologna and other products containing gelatin, as well as a variety of ground or chopped meats. People who eat meat from infected animals can contract the human version of the disease, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). The disease slowly eats holes in the brain over a matter of years, turning it sponge-like, and invariably results in dementia and death. There is no known cure, treatment or vaccine for vCJD.

Center for Food Safety seeks to end dangerous animal feed practices that threaten human health and the safety of our meat supply, such as feeding rendered animals to other animals. We urge the CDC to classify vCJD as a reportable disease so occurrences can be tracked and to work to plug the loopholes that still exist in FDA and USDA regulations.

California Cows Unhappy About Mad Cow Disease

Once again mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE]) has surfaced in the U.S. This week the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed BSE in a Ca…

Eleven Plaintiffs File Complaint to Stop USDA's Dangerous "Over 30 month Rule," Address Mad Cow Risks

R-CALF USA, along with 10 other plaintiffs, has filed a complaint against the U.S…

CFS Calls on Government Agencies, Food Processing Companies, the Agriculture Industry, and Medical and Veterinary Professionals to Protect Consumers, the Economy, and Animals from Mad Cow Disease

The above-mentioned groups call on public officials, food processing companies, the agriculture industry, and medical and veterinary professionals to adopt the following measure…

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Mad Cow Disease

About Mad Cow Disease

California Cows Unhappy About Mad Cow Disease

Eleven Plaintiffs File Complaint to Stop USDA's Dangerous "Over 30 month Rule," Address Mad Cow Risks

CFS Calls on Government Agencies, Food Processing Companies, the Agriculture Industry, and Medical and Veterinary Professionals to Protect Consumers, the Economy, and Animals from Mad Cow Disease