Posted on 08/24/2015 9:47:29 AM PDT by Red Badger
Store-bought ground beef often contains a variety of bacteria that can make humans sick and is resistant to the drugs used to treat it, according to new data from Consumer Reports.
While most bacteria in meat can be killed when cooked correctly, many Americans prefer to eat their meat rare, putting them at a greater risk for illness—especially when the meat comes from conventionally raised cows, which are treated with antibiotics and hormones, according to a new Consumer Reports study. The study found that nearly 20% of ground beef in the U.S. tested from conventionally raised cows had bacteria resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. Only 9% of ground beef that was sustainably made had antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
For the report, Consumer Reports purchased and tested 300 packages of conventionally and sustainably produced ground beef sold in stores around the U.S. The meat was tested for five common types of bacteria that can be found in beef: Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Enterococcus, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. Bacteria of some kind was found in all of the beef samples,
[snip]
More than 80% of conventional ground beef had two types of bacteria and nearly 20% of the samples contained C. perfringens, which causes close to a million cases of food poisoning every year. “There’s no way to tell by looking at a package of meat or smelling it whether it has harmful bacteria or not,” Urvashi Rangan, executive director of the Center for Food Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports, said.“You have to be on guard every time.”
The research also found that 10% of the samples had a strain of S. aureus that produces a toxin that can make people ill and is not killed even when the meat is cooked properly.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Truthfully, antibiotic resistant (AR) bacteria are only a problem if you are taking antibiotics.
Antibiotics are extremely potent, and tend to wipe out a lot of healthy intestinal flora as well as the desired pathogen.
Most of us already have AR bacteria in our bodies, but they are kept in check by our healthy bacteria, which normally occupy most of the physical space that the pathogens would use to reproduce and increase their numbers.
But if the health bacteria are wiped out, the AR bacteria can have a population explosion, which is very bad.
To get around this problem, many physicians are now recommending that in between times of taking antibiotics, patients consume probiotics, like the drink called “Kefir”, which has 10 or 12 healthy strains of bacteria, to restore the healthy bacteria which are killed by the antibiotic.
Otherwise, if you are not sick or taking antibiotics, it is good to consume Kefir as well, to build up a strong intestinal flora.
One other important note is that the artificial sweetener Splenda (Sucralose) is quite harmful to your good intestinal flora, while at the same time it doesn’t hurt some bad bacteria in your gut.
Of course, it's always about the steroids and antibiotics and unspecified "toxins" that have killed so many beef eating people into their 90's. Sheesh, give us a break and go eat your frigging tofu and rabbit food and leave us carnivores alone.
BTW, "Isoflavones are sometimes called phytoestrogens, mainly because they produce weak estrogen-like activity in the body. Isoflavones bind to estrogen receptor proteins, which, in turn, interact with the genetic material in your cells. Therefore, isoflavones can mimic some of the biological activity of the natural estrogens -- estradiol and estrone. The biological effects of isoflavones are complicated, however.
They left out the third type of estrogen (estriol) which is a main component of a woman's physiology and also in soy. Yes, many plants have phytoestrogens, but in far less quantities than soy beans. No wonder liberal tofu eating males are so effeminate. Eat your crap and enjoy "Housewifes Of Who Gives a Sh*t".
Guess I should thank the Neanderthrals or Homo-sapiens for learning to cook food. Probably sure some got food-poisoning but they survived as I did from Jack.
OMG. I just realized I said "homo". Unintended micro-aggression here.
“BS on the article: What the cattle eat while alive probably has little to do with most of the bacteria found in the ground meat.”
The meat is contaminated from cow feces picked up in the corral or from the intestinal tract during processing. It gets ground into the meat and can grow if not kept at the proper temp. Since the population of bacteria in the animal is effected by what it ingests or is injected with it can make a difference.
I remember the same. The warm baloney sandwiches that sat there until noon, with all the mayo that was slightly turning rancid but to no ill effects. OMG, however will we deal with rare cow beef? Ask the customers of RuthsCris steakhouse when they order rare sirloin and survive.
“The bacteria will be dead, but the TOXIN is still in the meat.....................”
The amount of toxin in the meat is insignificant. Toxicity results from toxins formed when the host is very heavily infected with the organism.
remember, most of the burger in the grocery store is old meat or has hit the floor.
It begins to stink after the first day in the fridge if it doesn't stink when you bring it home.
Grind your own meat at home and it smells fresh at least 3 days after grinding.
AND it tastes superior.
I used to love them that way....not anymore. Heck, I used to like raw burger on a soda cracker with salt and pepper.
My wonderful bride undercooked a meatloaf...I love meatloaf. I got food poisoning so bad I nearly died. It was horrible.
Especially if you eat burger from a buffet!
Buffets - I can only imagine the bacteria on the handles of all the serving utensils. Their fingers to those spoons to my fingers.
Yum, finger lickin’ good!
2x e coli victim here.
Once from a salad bar in Renton, WA.
Painful and sobering.
The second time at home from a med-rare burger.
Painful and sobering, again.
I don’t know if you recall, but I was working for a competitor, this all goes back to when Jack in the Box killed a bunch of customers through really lax procedures. Ever since then you can’t get a burger from a big chain that hasn’t had all the flavor cooked out of it due to the fear of lawsuits. You can only get a piece of shoe leather on a bun now.
"Ground beef was the second most common source of meat-related illness outbreaks in the period studied, and 90% of those recalls were due to the presence of E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria, all bacteria that originate in slaughterhouses and can lead to hospitalization, long-term health problems, or death."
Did that come from
What do you call a ‘fly with no wings’?
A WALK!!!!!!
As to the beef etc, I still do rare for steaks and ‘steak tartare’ was one of my favorites but basically impossible to find anymore, Hamburgers well done.
As to cleanliness in general - the old wash your hands after using the head etc is an ‘old wives tale’.
I have figured out the ‘cleanest’ thing I touch in the course of a day is my liquid discharge tube.
In actuality, I should be washing my hands FIRST.
Then there is the ‘old saw’
in the ‘R Room’ and a guy says
‘In the ARMY they taught us to wash our hands after taking a Pee.’
Response:
‘The NAVY taught us not to Pee on our hands’.
Heh...kinda like eggs. Oh, wait is this the week eggs are good or bad? I can never keep that straight.
“Ground beef was the second most common source of meat-related illness outbreaks in the period studied, and 90% of those recalls were due to the presence of E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria, all bacteria that originate in slaughterhouses and can lead to hospitalization, long-term health problems, or death.”
The organisms that “originate in the slaughterhouse” originate in the animals gut which then get spilled onto the slaughterhouse floor and contaminate the meat through sloppy practices.
I buy the grass fed ground beef from Costco. About $4.99 per lb. Good stuff.
How can one tell that the meat is actually from grass fed cattle?.....................................
"Slaughterhouses have already sharply reduced contamination through practices like washing carcasses with hot water, steam or acids."
We see a lot of cattle with manure all over their hides, they stand in it, they wallow in nasty mud. So part of it is outside. Salmonella lives in the soil. But basically it is a problem of processing. I agree with you on that.
Who eats round beef rare? Who?
Antibiotic and hotmone free too, mostly.
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