Hey, thanks a bunch, hillbilly! I was dying to find at least ONE more real news article about this. From the quality of the reporting, seems like the Ark-Dem Gazette is a decent paper, as opposed to some tabloid rag.

The article didn't shed any light on what will happen to these "rejected" rations, though, besides a possible reference to storing them. Perhaps those of us wanting to fortify our food stores can head down to Arkansas and stock up on some of the 40,000 rejected rations! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I'd eat them. And wine??? I gotta get me some of THOSE rations!

But anyway, it does sound like red tape is the root of the problem.

And in related developments, yesterday, the US Senate voted to block the import of high-grade Japanese beef (aka "Kobe beef") into the US until Japan lifts its ban on the import of American beef, implemented by the Japanese counterpart to our Food and Drug Administration. Mad cow was detected in US cattle a couple years back.

Politics! <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> How ironic that the same day the gov't is rejecting these rations due to laws meant to protect Americans from BSE, the Senate is trying to twist the arm of another "ally" to lift their ban on American beef (and enrich US cattlemen), meant to protect THEIR citizens from BSE! *sigh*