Store bought ground beef is the one piece of meat that is most susceptible to food borne pathogens like E. Coli. In fact on October 31, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the latest recall of approximately 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef products that were likely contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Why is store bought ground beef more likely to contain pathogens? Store purchased ground beef, or hamburger meat, is not a single, primal cut of beef. Store bought ground beef is often; a) a mixture of different grades of meat from the same cow, including "meat trimmings" which include a very high percentage of fat, b) meat from several different cows and c) meat from several different slaughterhouses. Further, the cuts of meat that go into ground beef are cuts nearer the hide and extremities of the cow and thus more likely to become contaminated during the slaughterhouse process. Lastly, ground beef is simply handled much more during processing introducing additional risks.

Below is the partial transcript of a recent podcast discussion by Kathy Bernard and Eileen Dykes of the FSIS on the reasons that store bought ground beef can be dangerous:

Bernard:" It’s important to handle all meat and poultry safely but why is the handling of ground beef a special concern? "

Dykes:" Generally, ground beef is made by grinding beef trimmings with fat. Grinding tenderizes the meat and the fat reduces its dryness and improves flavor. However, when meat is ground, more of the meat is exposed to potentially harmful bacteria. Bacteria are everywhere in our environment. Any food of animal origin can contain bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7 can cause illness. These harmful bacteria can not be seen or smelled. E. coli O157:H7 is a strain of bacteria that produces a toxin that can develop into an extremely serious illness. It can colonize in the intestines of animals, which could contaminate muscle meat at slaughter. Illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 have been linked to the consumption of undercooked ground beef."

A home meat grinder allows more control over the type of meat, fats, salts or other additives that go into your food and ultimately in your diet. A meat grinder will allow you to buy and grind primal cuts of meat into ground beef and avoid the contamination risks that are so prevalant with store bought ground beef. A meat grinder is a good food safety investment. Plus home made ground beef tastes better!

Published 11/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

Tags: Food Safety