NY Times Report on Contaminated Meat Wins Pulitzer Prize

by Nicki Gostin, Posted Apr 13th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Getty Images

A disturbing and powerful report on contaminated meat has garnered Michael Moss and members of the New York Times staff a Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.

Smith told the story of 23 year old Stephanie Smith, who nearly died after eating a hamburger riddled with E. coli that was manufactured by Cargill Inc. The former dancer is now paralyzed from the waist down and will need a kidney transplant sometime in the future.

Moss reported that the meat Smith ingested came from four different slaughterhouses including one in Uruguay and was processed in yet another plant and that the government (shockingly) does not require E. coli testing.

"When I was working on the story I was surprised on all kinds of levels," Moss told Slashfood. "I didn't know how hamburgers were made and I was surprised by the gaps in a system that has been fixed since Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle.'"

This isn't the first food contamination story that Moss has worked on. He's also written about salmonella infected peanuts and frozen chicken pot pies.

"I will definitely be doing more food stories but not necessarily pathogen related. Food is a growing concern for so many people from the White House down. It really seems to be a moment."

Filed Under: Newspapers, News
Tags: e. coli, featured, michael moss, new york times, pulitzer prize