Post by BBQ Butcher on Mar 30, 2008 6:47:07 GMT -5
10/14/07
The Barbecue Butcher #12
Unless you've been traveling in outer space or been in a vacuum, you probably have read about the two meat recalls in the past few weeks regarding frozen ground beef patties that have been infected with E.coli bacteria, specifically E.coli O157:H7. That particular strain causes severe cramps and diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and there have been deaths associated with it since 1982, especially in younger children and the elderly whose immune systems are not up to par.
In the past few years we have seen numerous recalls involving ground beef, apple juice, fresh lettuce and spinach. Most of the ground beef recalls were traced back to human error (sanitation) and under cooking at restaurant level. The apple juice in question was not pasteurized. Both the lettuce and the spinach had had been infected from contaminated water and human feces. There have been other recalls as well...cheese, canned chili sauces and green beans, to name a few. Those were Salmonella related bacteria, but they still should have be detected before the products left the plant.
Before I go into how those instances were allowed to occur, I'd like to touch briefly on how you can reduce the risk of infection from E.coli.
1) Sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, plates, knives, etc) that will come in contact with raw
meat. I suggest hot soapy water and a rinse with a bleach solution (1oz bleach, 1 gal water) or use a spray food surface sanitizer produced by Lysol© or Clorox©.
2) Thoroughly wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, and before you handle any utensils or other food items. Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer, such as Purell©, is also a good habit to get into.
3) If you are cooking fresh hamburger, pre-made and/or frozen hamburger patties, cook them to an internal temperature of 160° or until the juices run clear. Not pink, but CLEAR. I suggest that you buy beef roasts, either from the Chuck, Sirloin or the Round and grind your own burger at home. That way you know exactly what is in it and how it was handled.
4) And lastly, avoid eating burgers at fast food joints. I'm serious. Not only is it not healthy for your diet, but some of the sanitation and food handling policies at some of these places are totally ignored by the employees and management.
How did all this E.coli business come about? For years the USDA and it's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. So, in a nutshell, we the consumers have been leaving the safety of our food to the government!
Let's face it, the USDA, the FDA and the U.S. food industry are in business to make profits, not protect consumers. The large meat packing corporations and cattle barons have had a long and profitable relationship with the USDA. Yes, I'm talking about corruption in the forms of favors, pay offs, short cuts, turning heads, political appointments and the list goes on and on.
The government agencies, like private industry, have been in a downward spiral with the economy which has led to massive layoffs, cutting budgets, down sizing and just saving money and man power where ever they can. At one time the USDA had inspectors at all slaughterhouses and food processing plants that checked for sanitation, bacteria and all around food safety. That is not the case any more. In their infinite wisdom, the USDA has decided to remove most of the inspectors and cut the inspections practically down to nothing. In some cases only one inspection a year! In others, they are relying on “self policing”. This obviously is not working, as both Topps and Cargill (at the center of the last two recalls) are considered to be some of the top players in the game! Why don't we just let the fox guard the hen house?
To add to the woes of down sizing and budget cutting, is the influx of illegal immigrants to the work force of the meat and produce industries. Literally hundred's of thousands of illegals are working in the fields and processing plants handling OUR food! Other than being illegal, these people have poor, in some cases NO sanitation and hygiene habits. There have been documented instances where some have been caught relieving themselves right at their work stations and, of course, no hand washing afterwards. This is totally UNACCEPTABLE to me!
So what are we supposed to do to protect ourselves from all these food born illnesses that have been prevalent in recent years? In almost all the most recent food recalls, the product has gotten into the retail food chain ALREADY infected with the deadly E.coli!!! Where were the inspections? Why do half a dozen people have to get sick before the USDA does something about it?
If the government agencies cannot protect us, then I suggest that we remove the USDA, the FDA and other 'initial' agencies from the job. Privatizing will result in a cost savings to us tax payers and a better follow through on the safety of our food supply. At the same time we have to crack down on the illegal workers. If that means hefty fines to the offending employers and deportation of the workers, then so be it.
Would the public have any more faith in a private entity doing inspections than the government? Speaking just for myself, considering the sad track record of the USDA for the past few years, I would be more inclined to trust the private entity than I would the government trying to reinvent itself on this issue.
Nothing can be done about it over night, but maybe a gradual conversion over a few years time would be beneficial to all. I'm sure the price of beef, pork and chicken would go up a few cents a pound to cover the manufacturer's added cost, but I would be more than willing to pay it, as long I was satisfied the food is safer than it is now.
It's time to start paying attention, writing letters to your various Senators, Representatives, etc. I would even go so far as to boycott the products of the worst offenders, even refusing to patronize their local restaurants until they got their act together. Maybe in a few years we can go to a restaurant, order a 'rare' hamburger and a spinach salad without the worry of getting sick.
I urge every one of you to read the book, “Toxin” by Robin Cook. It touches on E.coli and the meat industry. Here is a detailed book report "Toxin"
The above has been a commentary by The Barbecue Butcher.
The Barbecue Butcher #12
Unless you've been traveling in outer space or been in a vacuum, you probably have read about the two meat recalls in the past few weeks regarding frozen ground beef patties that have been infected with E.coli bacteria, specifically E.coli O157:H7. That particular strain causes severe cramps and diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and there have been deaths associated with it since 1982, especially in younger children and the elderly whose immune systems are not up to par.
In the past few years we have seen numerous recalls involving ground beef, apple juice, fresh lettuce and spinach. Most of the ground beef recalls were traced back to human error (sanitation) and under cooking at restaurant level. The apple juice in question was not pasteurized. Both the lettuce and the spinach had had been infected from contaminated water and human feces. There have been other recalls as well...cheese, canned chili sauces and green beans, to name a few. Those were Salmonella related bacteria, but they still should have be detected before the products left the plant.
Before I go into how those instances were allowed to occur, I'd like to touch briefly on how you can reduce the risk of infection from E.coli.
1) Sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, plates, knives, etc) that will come in contact with raw
meat. I suggest hot soapy water and a rinse with a bleach solution (1oz bleach, 1 gal water) or use a spray food surface sanitizer produced by Lysol© or Clorox©.
2) Thoroughly wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, and before you handle any utensils or other food items. Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer, such as Purell©, is also a good habit to get into.
3) If you are cooking fresh hamburger, pre-made and/or frozen hamburger patties, cook them to an internal temperature of 160° or until the juices run clear. Not pink, but CLEAR. I suggest that you buy beef roasts, either from the Chuck, Sirloin or the Round and grind your own burger at home. That way you know exactly what is in it and how it was handled.
4) And lastly, avoid eating burgers at fast food joints. I'm serious. Not only is it not healthy for your diet, but some of the sanitation and food handling policies at some of these places are totally ignored by the employees and management.
How did all this E.coli business come about? For years the USDA and it's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. So, in a nutshell, we the consumers have been leaving the safety of our food to the government!
Let's face it, the USDA, the FDA and the U.S. food industry are in business to make profits, not protect consumers. The large meat packing corporations and cattle barons have had a long and profitable relationship with the USDA. Yes, I'm talking about corruption in the forms of favors, pay offs, short cuts, turning heads, political appointments and the list goes on and on.
The government agencies, like private industry, have been in a downward spiral with the economy which has led to massive layoffs, cutting budgets, down sizing and just saving money and man power where ever they can. At one time the USDA had inspectors at all slaughterhouses and food processing plants that checked for sanitation, bacteria and all around food safety. That is not the case any more. In their infinite wisdom, the USDA has decided to remove most of the inspectors and cut the inspections practically down to nothing. In some cases only one inspection a year! In others, they are relying on “self policing”. This obviously is not working, as both Topps and Cargill (at the center of the last two recalls) are considered to be some of the top players in the game! Why don't we just let the fox guard the hen house?
To add to the woes of down sizing and budget cutting, is the influx of illegal immigrants to the work force of the meat and produce industries. Literally hundred's of thousands of illegals are working in the fields and processing plants handling OUR food! Other than being illegal, these people have poor, in some cases NO sanitation and hygiene habits. There have been documented instances where some have been caught relieving themselves right at their work stations and, of course, no hand washing afterwards. This is totally UNACCEPTABLE to me!
So what are we supposed to do to protect ourselves from all these food born illnesses that have been prevalent in recent years? In almost all the most recent food recalls, the product has gotten into the retail food chain ALREADY infected with the deadly E.coli!!! Where were the inspections? Why do half a dozen people have to get sick before the USDA does something about it?
If the government agencies cannot protect us, then I suggest that we remove the USDA, the FDA and other 'initial' agencies from the job. Privatizing will result in a cost savings to us tax payers and a better follow through on the safety of our food supply. At the same time we have to crack down on the illegal workers. If that means hefty fines to the offending employers and deportation of the workers, then so be it.
Would the public have any more faith in a private entity doing inspections than the government? Speaking just for myself, considering the sad track record of the USDA for the past few years, I would be more inclined to trust the private entity than I would the government trying to reinvent itself on this issue.
Nothing can be done about it over night, but maybe a gradual conversion over a few years time would be beneficial to all. I'm sure the price of beef, pork and chicken would go up a few cents a pound to cover the manufacturer's added cost, but I would be more than willing to pay it, as long I was satisfied the food is safer than it is now.
It's time to start paying attention, writing letters to your various Senators, Representatives, etc. I would even go so far as to boycott the products of the worst offenders, even refusing to patronize their local restaurants until they got their act together. Maybe in a few years we can go to a restaurant, order a 'rare' hamburger and a spinach salad without the worry of getting sick.
I urge every one of you to read the book, “Toxin” by Robin Cook. It touches on E.coli and the meat industry. Here is a detailed book report "Toxin"
The above has been a commentary by The Barbecue Butcher.