The most obvious are lamb, pork, poultry and fish, all of which have enjoyed increased sales since the latest outbreak of mad cow panic. For the truly health-conscious, however, there are potential problems with most of these alternatives. Sheep are susceptible to scrapie, a brain-destroying disease that may be the origin of bse. Mass-produced pork is bulked up with antibiotics and, illegally but not uncommonly, with hormones, while battery chickens are often similarly drugged. Though there is no indication that fish can harbor the bse prion, it is hardly reassuring to know that much of it is artificially farmed and fed with the same meat-based meal that has been outlawed for cows and other livestock.
Pork is full of antibiotics, poultry is full of hormones.
More unusual offerings are starting to make their way into some markets and restaurants. But, like bison, they are much more expensive than beef. Beef aficionados also claim the big birds tend to be dry and lack the savor of a juicy entrecote. European ostrich farmers are nonetheless ecstatic over their newly thriving business. Some Austrian producers are suddenly facing a fivefold jump in demand.