User post: Is your ground beef safe?

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  Posted by Wookieecat Mon Nov 2, 2009 5:44pm PST

  Yeah, that movie was scary!

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  Posted by Frank Mon Nov 2, 2009 7:21pm PST

  Only eating at places that grind their own? Are you totally crazy? The odds of e coli increase exponentially in this situation! You can think anyway you want about the "mass' producers, but as a foodservice professional, I WOULD NEVER eat a burger at a restaurant that grinds their own beef. The mechanisms in place are dependent on "George the High school student" instead of a TRAINED person who knows they will be audited and exposed if their work is less than spec. WAKE UP! the "Big companies have alot more to lose than the "self-grinders" therefore they take Extrordinary measures to assure safety. Do problems occur? Sure, there are people involved, but what would you rather have your children or elderly parents exposed to; those that are not audited or those that can have an occasional bad day like you and me?

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  Posted by Frank Mon Nov 2, 2009 7:33pm PST

  I should have read the rest of your comment before answering. Local butcher?;tell me what steps they have in place to assure you aren't exposed? Do they check the raw product for e coli BEFORE grinding? Do they have any systems in place to assure that the beef was transported according to the cold chain requirements? Do they check the beef (for e coli) after it is ground? Do they have insurance in place to assist you if e coli is evident? Likewise, grinding yourself is ridiculous! Are you going to inspect the beef that you buy? Are you going to require the "butcher" that sells you to be responsible for protecting you by testing for e coli before they sell it to you (do they even require that the people who they buy it from to inspect?) Save your money on the Kitchen Aid attachment and do your homework! E coli occurrs on the outside of the beef when it is exposed to intestinal fecal matter, it doesn't matter how you grind it. The safest, and best way. to avoid e coli is to cook meat until it is 160 degrees (and therefore has no flavor left). In order to compensate for the flavor loss you will add seasoning which contain salt and MSG that is far more artifical and dangerous, in the long run than even e coli.

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  Posted by Katie B Tue Nov 3, 2009 5:18am PST

  Honestly.... it's just as safe as eating baby spinach or anything else.... anytime you buy and cook food you are going to run the risk of bacteria... Baby Spinach has more incidences of E. Coli than beef does.

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  Posted by Gerald Tue Nov 3, 2009 5:36am PST

  Frank,

  I have read and studied. Currently there is a recall in the NE of ground beef. Most, if not all, of the retailers do NOT require testing. Most of the grinders are prohibited by there suppliers from testing, and most ground beef is from trimmings. The portion that is most likely to be contaminated. Grinding your own is a safer option as you can use whole cuts of beef that are less likely to be contaminated. As far as I know the only retailer that requires testing and will not buy untested ground beef is Costco. And no, I do not work there or have any assoication with them.

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  Posted by subzero72 Tue Nov 3, 2009 6:35am PST

  Gerald, you will find that grinding your own ground beef is far tastier the what you can buy. One tip, the meat you ground will be far less fatty than what you buy changing the way it cooks.

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  Posted by Habanero♥™ Tue Nov 3, 2009 7:43am PST

  I do grind my own meat and add the fat myself. It is so much better and you have no fear of biting down on hard pieces.

  I watched a documentary about 20 years ago where the large chains were pulling the old ground beef from the shelves and regrinding it with fresher beef. Some of the old beef was grey. I haven't eaten store bought anything ground since then.

  I live in New England and we are having a large recall right now.

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  Posted by RJ Tue Nov 3, 2009 8:42am PST

  Hate to break it to you, but I was in the meat cutting/packing industry for 4 years. No matter where it's done, you're going to encounter risk. High school kids will always be grinding and packing your burger because it's the B-work nobody else wants to do. Best thing you can do is keep your meat within the proper temperature range and cook it thoroughly.

  And a general thing--just because raw meat isn't pink or red doesn't mean it's rotten. (The pink color is often due to dye, not freshness, especially at big grocery departments like Target.) Not so long ago, people used to like aged steaks and meat that was what we now consider "discolored" or old. A steak with some brown on it won't kill you--it might even taste better!

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  Posted by Habanero♥™ Tue Nov 3, 2009 12:34pm PST

  RJ I have been in the business for a very long time. Trust me, ground beef should not be brown unless it is cooked.

  Steak is totally different.

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  Posted by Megan Tue Nov 3, 2009 6:42pm PST

  My family raises cattle, so we always have a freezer full of family raised beef that gets packaged by friends. No worries for me!

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