Foot and mouth disease may be on its way, but E. coli bacteria is already here – and it’s everywhere, from fast food restaurants and supermarket shelves to petting zoos and “barnyard exhibits.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that exposure to “barnyard exhibits” increases one’s chances of contracting E. coli infections, particularly for children, who commonly put their hands near their mouths after petting the animals. The CDC suggests that organizers of animal exhibits “provide more adequate hand-washing facilities and ban hand-to-mouth contact close to the animals.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) thinks that suggestion is all washed up! If you want to avoid E. coli, avoid the animals-dead or alive. Whether on your plate, or in the barn, cows, chickens, goats and other farm animals can be harmful to your health.
As more and more people adopt a vegetarian diet, our need for “farm” animals will diminish, as well as exhibits where we can gawk at them, therefore lessening the threat of E. coli contamination. Contact PETA at 1-888-VEG-FOOD for a free vegetarian starter kit.
Heather Moore