Recall Drives Home E. coli Risks

The recent voluntary recall of meat from Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., is only the latest reminder that any raw meat product, no matter how closely inspected, may harbor the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7.

Tyson, a Sherman, Texas, company, is recalling approximately 40,440 pounds of ground beef because of possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service announced yesterday.

At Auburn University, a food safety expert says the recall once again should serve as a pointed reminder to U.S. consumers that bacterial contamination always is a possibility with any raw product and that they should act accordingly.

“It drives home the fact that whenever you deal with raw products, you’re going to have the possibility of contamination from E. coli,” says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

In fact, Weese says the only way food manufacturers could be virtually certain a product is free of contamination when it leaves the plant is by irradiating it — a practice she describes as safe but that still is steadfastly opposed by many critics. Otherwise, no matter how much inspection takes place at meat processing plants, there is still the possibility that some traces of E. coli will pass inspection.

The good news, Weese says, is that this needn’t concern consumers as long as they practice safe handling and cooking methods in the course of meal preparation. “As long as you cook the meat to a safe temperature — 160 degrees Fahrenheit — you don’t have to worry about E. coli,” she says.

She cautions that the interior color of meat after cooking should not be taken as certain proof that the product has been thoroughly cooked. In fact, the only way to know for sure that meat has been properly cooked all the way through is with a meat thermometer.

Thermometers are especially critical in cases in which one is cooking for people who face the risk of serious complications from exposure to E. coli and other food pathogens, particularly immune-compromised people — the very young and very old and AIDS sufferers, for example.

As a basic rule of thumb, she says people should always bear in mind that when they are handling raw meat, there is always the risk of exposure to E. coli, either from direct contact with the beef or from some other item, such as foods or cooking utensils that have been exposed to the meat.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at June 11, 2007 04:38 PM | TrackBack