Meats (or produce) have never been allowed. It's not Mad Cow Disease, it's the fact that the sausages or whatever may not have been inspected at all, or other countries allow things like lymph nodes and spinal chords in their sausages.

Re: Canada: I've never needed anything but an official type of picture ID, and it IS harder to get into the US than Canada. Possibly because Canada hasn't pissed too many people off and no one really wants to blow them up. I had my driver's license out waiting to cross back into the US on Sunday. It was taking so long, I decided to re-arrange the stuff on the passenger seat and set the licence down. When I looked for it, it had completely disappeared. I STILL can't find it! I used my military retiree ID. (I got home and my car keys disappeared overnight, and I haven't found them either. Makes me wonder...)