Government Watchdog Calls for Increased Meat Industry Oversight

We've all heard about the horrendous working conditions meat industry employees are subjected to (though if you haven't, you can read about it here). While the situation has greatly improved over the past few years, a congressional watchdog called the Government Accountability Office demands a more extreme crackdown in light of the fact that "meat processing employs more than 500,000 workers in the U.S. and remains one of the most hazardous jobs, with injury rates above those in the broader manufacturing sector."

GAO suggests that despite the impressive drop in injuries we've seen over the course of the last year, the number of unreported injuries is inappropriately high. Workers are afraid of potential consequences for speaking out and more insidious health issues (like carpal tunnel syndrome, which develops over time) go unacknowledged by the meat corporations.

As we wait to see how the government responds to the issue, we as reducetarians can take immediate action: eat less meat and know that you are not contributing to the harsh treatment of both animals and individual humans. Eat consciously!

Written by Danika Lam