Relax and chew, say agriculture and food safety experts. Those odds are due to government bans on imported meat, increased inspections and training, and probably a little luck, food safety experts say. The U.S. Department of Agriculture banned the import of all cattle and most cattle products from the United Kingdom and other European countries in 1989 in response to mad cow outbreaks. The ban was expanded to include all of Europe in 1997. All U.S. cattle must be inspected by the USDA before being slaughtered.
Federal inspectors look for signs of neurological problems associated with mad cow disease.
Animals showing possible symptoms are condemned, and the meat is not permitted for use as human food. The brains fro these animals are sent to the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories for analysis. For instance, the University of Illinois Department of Agriculture has restricted outside access to its facilities. But the ban on imported meat and cattle doesn't mean every burger in the Chicago-area comes from a cow on a downstate farm. Illinois ranks 26th in the nation in the cattle industry.