Pacific Views

Mad cow scare affects U.S. potatoes.

Beef producers aren't the only ones feeling the economic impact of the discovery of mad cow disease among US cattle. The Seattle Times reports that 200 shipping containers full of french fries are sitting on Seattle docks because they have no place to go. Other containers are stalled in ports on the US west coast. The paper reports that US $53 million worth of fries is involved.

The problem preventing export of the fries is the fact that they were cooked in beef tallow. Because of this, foreign customers — especially in Japan, China, and Korea — are worried that anyone who ate the french fries would risk exposure to mad cow disease.