Regulated Market Failure

You've got to love the notion of, "We can't let that company make a safer product! They'd run us out of business with their safe products!"

Imagine if cars were built in this manner.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The interesting thing about mad cow disease is that it usually takes years, sometimes a decade or more to even begin showing symptoms in people.

If it were quick, like E. coli, the meat companies would have no choice but to test all their meat because E. coli is easily traced back to the source. The impending public relations nightmare far outweighs the cost of testing. We've seen what E. coli outbreaks have done to meat plants or fast food chains like Jack in the Box.

But meat companies cannot be held accountable in the instance of mad cow disease, thus, any testing becomes a public service rather than something to further company profits.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

A true positive also means the company wouldn't profit off its hide, as it does can now.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.