You know, I could happily lived my life never knowing what happens inside a meatpacking plant. But then I had to go and read this article from the NYT and the curtain was pulled wide open. Not only is the process disturbing, what's more disturbing is what's happening at one pork processing plant in Minnesota.

A dozen employees have come down with a debilitating neurological disease that involves "heavy legs," loss of limb use, numbness, fatigue, pain, and weakness. The disease appears to cause inflammation of the spinal column, but it's not an illness doctors have seen before. The one thing all 12 employees have in common is that they all work at or near the "head table," where pig brains are harvested by using a process called "blowing brains." During the process, brain matter is pulverized into a fine mist. Workers do not currently wear face masks and can inhale or swallow airborne particles.

I'm sorry. Now I've pulled the curtain wide open for you too, haven't I?

Doctors believe that what is happening to the people affected by this syndrome is some sort of severe immune response to the pig brain matter that ends up inside their bodies. The question is, why? Some patients have recovered and returned to work, while others are still struggling to find treatment that works. Disturbing, indeed.

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I'll warn you, watching this video is not for the faint of heart. Actually, it's probably not for anyone with a heart, because of the terrible cruelty involved. But though I can't see beyond the animal rights issues that are obviously brought to light by the undercover video recently released by the Humane Society, I know that not everyone shares that particular viewpoint.

But there's another issue here that may hit closer to home...your dinner plate. These cows were being beaten, pushed with forklift blades, and sprayed with high-power hoses so that they would get up and walk into the slaughterhouse. The problem? They were "downer" cows, sick or injured, and the use of them as food is restricted by law. Whether or not these particular cows made it to the food supply is in question, but Humane Society leaders say what happened in this video is not an isolated event.

Food safety is a major issue in America today, and as this video highlights, our best interests are not always top priority. I'll continue to vote against these types of practices with my food dollar by avoiding factory farmed animals and buying meat only from local sources that I know and trust. I'm not opposed to adding an occasional piece of meat to my meal, but I just can't swallow the suffering.

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When you buy organic, you assume you're buying a product that lives up to a standard that you've chosen for yourself: No pesticides, antibiotic-free, produced in a sustainable manner. Some argue that as big business gets a hold of the organic "brand," the ideals behind the certification will get watered down as companies find loopholes or and drive down prices.

Aurora Organic Dairy, based in Colorado, is one of the biggest distributors of organic milk in the nation. Large grocery store chains like Walmart, Costco, Target, Safeway, and Wild Oats Market buy Aurora's milk and sell it as organic under their own store label. The company is being sued by law firms on behalf of consumers who bought the milk assuming it met organic standards. They say that the conditions on the farm do not meet organic standards, and more closely resemble factory farms.

Aurora disputes the claim, but the company has come under fire before by the USDA, who found over a dozen violations from 2003-2006. You can read more about the case here. Whether Aurora is guilty as charged or not, It's just another reminder that -- if sustainability is really important to you -- you should know the company you're buying from.

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