Protein Sources in a Pandemic: What's Left to Eat?

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The discussion highlights concerns about the safety of traditional protein sources amid potential pandemics, particularly focusing on meat contamination risks from diseases like bird flu and mad cow disease. There is a call for a return to more natural farming practices, where animals are raised in healthier conditions, reducing the need for antibiotics and the risk of disease transmission. Alternative protein sources such as soy, peanuts, and various wild game are suggested as viable options if meat becomes unsafe. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of proper food preparation to mitigate disease transmission risks. Overall, the thread underscores the need for safe and sustainable protein sources in the face of potential health crises.
SOS2008
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Assuming people don't die in large numbers from consuming tainted meat, what source of protein will be left for humans to eat?

"WHO: Bird flu pandemic is imminent
Governments must act swiftly to prevent outbreak, officials say"
MSNBC News Services - Feb. 23, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6861065/

"Second Mad Cow Case Triggers Beefed-Up Testing"
June 24, 2005
Also covered by: CNN, MSNBC, WSJ Online (Subscription Req.)
http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex.cfm?tbid=1247

"Human toll in pig flu outbreak baffles scientists
Experts worried that germ may have mutated to create deadlier version"
Associated Press - Aug. 3, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8814458/

Not to mention mercury in seafood...
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Soy beans!
 
Peanuts? :confused:
 
Vegetables?
 
Very funny. :smile:

There was a program some time ago about returning to nature's ways versus the mass production scenario in which animals are crammed together in unsanitary conditions thus requiring antibiotics, etc., etc. They focused on a rancher that has gone back to moving cattle from one open pasture to another, and not at a lot more cost either. I mean, come on, one can only eat so much soy. :eek:

Really, a bigger concern is the possible outbreak of pandemic disease among humans. It seems the most horrific diseases are those that are spread from other species to humans -- mutating to deadlier versions.
 
Risk of Milkborne TSE/BSE transmission

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15222490

In the light of current scientific knowledge and irrespective of the geographical origin, milk and milk derivatives (e.g. lactoferrin, lactose) are unlikely to present any risk of TSE contamination provided that milk is sourced from healthy animals in the same conditions as milk collected from human consumption. So the risk of milk and milk derivatives in relation to BSE is negligible.

PMID: 15222490
 
SOS2008 said:
It seems the most horrific diseases are those that are spread from other species to humans -- mutating to deadlier versions.

That idea makes the most sense to me, because it seems unlikely that a virus can mutate from something benign already present in humans, to something very deadly and contagious. On the other hand it seems more likely that a virus that has already sucessfully figured out how to exploit another organism (especially a mammals if we're worried for humans) could very easily mutate slightly enough to exploit us or another organism. Viruses can be a deep lesson on how we understand life.
 
All the sources of meat that we've used - can still be used, you just look for appropriate safety guidelines. Maybe cattle "guaranteed BSE free" will be some sort of niche for cattle farmers, and maybe people will pay more for that.

Otherwise, there are tons of other animals that humans have used for protein over time -- Rabbits, squirrel, dog, buffalo (we regularly eat buffalo brats from whole foods), elk, bear, deer, snake, etc.

And even though any animal could carry disease of one sort or another, some of them won't be transmitted to humans if the food is properly prepared.
 
SOS2008 said:
They focused on a rancher that has gone back to moving cattle from one open pasture to another, and not at a lot more cost either.

The weird thing is I always thought this was how cattle was brought up, until I saw a documentary on TV about an outbreak of food poisoning and they showed how these beasts really live... in their own squalor and waste
 

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