Yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture  announced concerning news to the public regarding the Tyson Foods corporation.

Food Safety and Inspection Services issued a recall for over 36,000 pounds of chicken. The report of the recall is related to the chicken product containing extraneous materials. The material most dangerous believed to be in the chicken is rubber.

As a consumer of food products, this news does not sit easily with me. It is scary to think how many different food corporations could be unlawfully tampering with the quality of their food products. I eat foods sold by companies like Tyson often, and I do not want to have to think twice about what else may be in the food I consume. No one in America should have to worry about accidentally ingesting rubber from the chicken tenders they bought at the store.

Another aspect of this issue makes me wonder how many times things like this have gone undetected.

Had this order failed to be recalled, thousands of pounds of chicken with unknown material would have been dispersed for sale around the United States. The harm to people who ate those Tyson Food products could have been horrific.

The government works to help stop cases such as this, however, it is naive to think they will catch every bad order. I believe the government needs to make an example and severely punish this meal manufacturer. A company with the assets and resources that Tyson does should be held accountable for nearly releasing contaminated foods to the public. Actions like this must not be taken lightly and should target the pockets of this wealthy corporation. By setting an example of Tyson, more food companies will see and hopefully care more for the food they retail.

This issue hits home with families across the United States who feed their children with products like Tyson. Strict guidelines are already in place to make sure food orders are safe, but these regulations must be enforced.

I sincerely hope the government shows their authority by holding Tyson accountable for the negligent actions, and situations like this become a relic of the passed.