Latinos are far less likely to have gotten the COVID vaccine. A reluctance to get the shot grounded in language, culture and other factors piles onto the health care inequities that many Latinos already face. That could leave many meatpacking communities at risk.
Using electronic tags to track livestock is widespread in Europe. Proponents say it helps prevent and contain food-borne illnesses, but the idea is finding a mixed and often chilly reception in the United States.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of meatpacking plants across the country have struggled to contain outbreaks. Many of the hardest-hit plants are in the Midwest and Great Plains, where the virus initially spread on crowded production lines.
On the 49th floor of the Devon Tower in Oklahoma City, a chef walked a cutting board with a large steak to a table where Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was sitting. But this wasn’t just a regular steak — it was the first Oklahoma Certified Beef steak.
A U.S. House subcommittee is investigating coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants, citing the deaths of more than 250 employees nationwide and accusing the Trump administration of failing to enforce worker safety laws.
When the pandemic disrupted supply chains across the country, many grocery store meat shelves were empty. Now, Oklahoma ranchers are finding more ways to sell local beef straight to consumers.
The new $900 billion coronavirus relief bill recently passed by Congress includes $60 million of grants for small meat processors to update and expand their facilities.
