'Govt could do more about mad cow disease'

The central government has taken precautionary measures against a possible degenerative brain disease among humans caused by the consumption of meat contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Local meat is said to be 99 percent free from the disease but, at the same time, the government has removed hundreds of packages of smuggled beef and processed meat, including from the United States, which recently discovered a cow with the disease. The Jakarta Post talked to some people about the issue.

Desy, 30, owns an electronics store in ITC Roxy Mas, West Jakarta. She lives with her father in Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta:

I prefer chicken to beef, I don't like red meat, so I don't have to worry about mad cow disease.

But, I wonder whether the government has done its best to protect consumers here by controlling the import of meat and such products. Hey, it is not impossible for the supermarkets to change the label of "U.S. imported meat" to "Australian".

Don't you wonder why all of a sudden the price of meat in the supermarkets has become so cheap? To buy meat in the traditional markets is safer, alright, but I would think twice about buying processed meat or meatballs there. How do I know where they got the meat from?

I think consumers had taken better precautionary measures by not buying meat anymore. Yesterday I went to the supermarket; not a single customer was seen at the meat counter.

Dani, 21, works in a private company in Central Jakarta. He stays in a boarding house in the Setiabudi area, South Jakarta:

Why worry about mad cow disease? We people of the low-income bracket, who make up the majority of the nation, don't enjoy meat dishes often. Only those who can afford to eat steak daily should worry.

But I think there should be tight regulations on the distribution of meat, because cattle are indeed prone to deadly diseases, like anthrax, which can affect those who eat meat.

Julius, 26, is an employee at a building material supplier in Tomang, West Jakarta. He lives with his parents and sister in Manggarai, South Jakarta:

The mad cow disease doesn't bother me. I still eat whatever I want. But, of course if I eat steak, I choose local beef. It is cheaper anyway.

I don't often go to fast-food outlets...But I don't think the beef in hamburgers is imported, otherwise I couldn't afford it.

--The Jakarta Post