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American Meat Institute
Meat producers use blade tenderizers to treat tough cuts of meat, breaking muscle fibers and connective tissues.
On the eve of summer grilling season, the recall of more than a ton of beef potentially contaminated with dangerous E. coli bacteria -- including mechanically tenderized sirloin steaks -- is renewing calls for better labeling.
Connecticut Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro said that the Wednesday recall involving some 2,057 pounds of ground and texturized beef from Town & Country Foods Inc. of Greene, Maine, underscores why consumers should be told when meat has been mechanically pierced with needles or blades.
“Thankfully, thus far there have not been any illnesses associated with this recall, but these products must be labeled to protect American consumers in the future,” DeLauro said in a statement.
Mechanical tenderization is typically used on tougher cuts of beef or pork to break down muscle fibers or to inject marinade into meat. About 50 million pounds of needle- or blade-tenderized meat is produced in the U.S. each month, according to a federal study, but it’s not required to be labeled.
Food safety advocates say the tenderized meat may increase the risk of foodborne illness because the needles or blades can drive bacteria deep inside. Federal officials already advise consumers to cook so-called “non-intact” steaks to a higher temperature -- 160 degrees -- for safety.
But meat industry officials and even a former federal agriculture leader say they’re not convinced of the risk of illness -- or that it’s worth slapping a label on every package, possibly discouraging consumption.
“We think it’s important that a good analysis be done before regulatory action is taken,” said Janet Riley, a spokeswoman for the American Meat Institute.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service officials said the Town & Country Foods meat was shipped from April 4 to April 10 and included hamburger patties, stewing beef and sirloin fillets. The problem was discovered when company lab tests confirmed E. coli O157:H7 after the meat already had gone out, resulting in the recall.
On Monday, two days before the recall, DeLauro had sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to require labels advising higher cooking temperatures to kill E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. The Democrat has been a longtime advocate of labeling.
“Accurate and appropriate labeling is critical in enabling consumers to make informed purchase decisions and also in ensuring proper food handling and safety,” DeLauro’s letter said.
Her view apparently has the support of Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, the U.S. undersecretary for food safety who told a congressional committee earlier last month: “We do believe they should be labeled,” as the blog Food Safety News reported.
But it’s at odds with meat industry officials, who say there hasn’t been enough research to tell if the mechanical process actually raises the risk of foodborne illness. Riley said some research indicates the problem may be associated with needle-marinated meat and not blade-tenderized meat.
And Dr. Richard Raymond, the former USDA official who previously held Hagen’s job, says he wasn’t convinced in the past and isn’t convinced now that labeling is necessary.
“The risk of choking and dying on that steak is far greater,” than the risk of E. coli poisoning, Raymond said.
He added that reported illnesses associated with tenderized meat have been very small compared to the volume of product.
In December 2009, some 248,000 pounds of tenderized beef were recalled after being linked to 21 E. coli O157:H7 infections in 16 states. Six months earlier, food safety advocates had warned the USDA of the risk of foodborne illness in mechanically tenderized meat.
Since then, the USDA has been considering whether to add labels warning that the products are “non-intact” and should be cooked to a higher temperature. USDA guidelines say that a whole cut steak should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. But because the process can introduce bacteria into the middle of the meat, the agency recommends that non-intact steaks be cooked to 160 degrees, like hamburger.
Raymond said that could discourage rare meat fans from buying the product, or encourage consumers to simply ignore the warning.
In her letter to the USDA, DeLauro said she was encouraged that Hagen supported labeling during the hearing of the House agriculture appropriations subcommittee last month.
“But it has been working on the issue since at least 2009,” she noted. “Continued inaction only puts the public at risk.”
Warmer weather means it's grilling time again. Butcher and Food Network host Pat LaFrieda evaluates the best and most affordable cuts of meat for grilling, and cooks up pork chops with a blueberry balsamic marinade.
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Never had so many problems with the Beef and Chicken suppliers till we hired all these foreigners to begin working in our food industry, What changed?
Don't blame foreigners for this. It is from Corporations wanting to garner every penny that they can even to the point of disregarding proven hygienic practices and fostering a nonchalance approach to consumer safety. Place the blame where it is well deserved, on the owners and managers of companies such as Cargill, Koch Bros., etc.
Ever wonder what happens to those scraps, bits and pieces of the animal that falls to the floor or come into contact with discards? They are reintroduced to the processing table or sold to an animal food processor where they are incorporated into pellets or canned food destined to chickens, cows, hogs, and pets.
My dogs and cats and pigs eat all my leftovers and they didn't seem to mind even if they fell on the floor. If I break an egg on the floor I let the dog in to lick it up. Chickens are cannibals and will eat each other. Now the cows are real picky. Thay'll only eat grass and grain. But there's nothing wrong with feeding your dog something that has fallen on the floor. Now get on me PETA
Letting them eat raw eggs is a really good way for your pets to get salmonella poisoning.
They probably should have used the ammonium hydroxide.
Using a small amount of Ammonium Hydroxide to slightly raise the ph and kill any E. coli on all mechanically processed meat whether it's tenderizing or separating meat from fat should probably be standard procedure if the meat is being produced in large quantities and distributed to many locations for sale. That could avoid serious health issues and recalls affecting the most people. Locally butchered meats or processing limited to limited distribution is fine as is. It's the large scale of mass production that brings with it the possibility of large scale health issues when something does go wrong and affects every batch produced in the time frame when the problem occurred.
This may also need to be seriously considered for fresh vegetables subject to E. coli contamination.
If you want your food all natural, buy it locally and as unprocessed as possible, otherwise it's an accident just waiting to happen.
Wrong answer.
"...But meat industry officials and even a former federal agriculture leader say they’re not convinced of the risk of illness -- or that it’s worth slapping a label on every package, possibly discouraging consumption..."
That says everything you need to know. We don't NEED to know what is in or occurs to our food. It could discourage consumption. No sh*t!
This is nothing more than another case of sensationalizing a non-issue, the same way they did with the "pink slime" issue. The fat is that e-coli is naturally occurring and no matter what you do, a certain small percentage of the food supply is going to become contaminated with it. The only thing you can do is make sure that you properly cook your meats to a high enough temperature to kill it and that you thoroughly wash all vegetables and rinse them with a vinegar solution. The acidity in the vinegar solution will kill the e-coli on the vegetable if you are planning on eating them raw. The solution will rinse off, and even if it does not completely rinse off, there is already vinegar in most salad dressing so you likely would not notice a little extra. Of course treating the meat with ammonium hydroxide to kill the e-coli is another option, but those who have no understanding of what this compound really is, no it is not like the ammonia you use to clean your house, seem to have a real problem with it's use. Buying locally grown foods will not change the odds of e-coli contamination much at all, since it is just as likely to get contaminated as mass processed product.
SC- just because you don't like my answer doesn't mean it's wrong.
If it has been pierced, it has to be well done to be safe. Of course it should be labelled and in big print. Although I like my hamburgers pink and juicy, I am otherwise very careful how I handle meat.
One more reason I'm glad to be a VEGETARIAN!!!
Note to Softdude...I'm very careful how I "HANDLE MEAT".....that's what she said!
Label tenderized meat with the recommended increased cooking temperature of 160 degrees, and let the consumer decide. There is no need for anyone to get sick just because the meat industry needs to make as much money as possible off of contaminated meat. As for Dr. Richard Raymond, the former U.S. Undersecretary for food safety: "former" in this case means he worked for the Bush II administration, one of the worst in history and well known for employing industry shills who would green light whatever industry wanted to do, public safety be damned. After working for Bush II, Dr. Raymond has 0COTI on food safety: Zero Credibility On The Issue.
Hey key2joy. Being a vegetarian won't keep you from getting infected by e-coli. It is found on vegetables as well.
Indeed, Greg. A few years ago when I was working a library, there was a snobby pregnant vegan. Now, I am not saying all vegans/vegetarians are snobby; she was. She would always comment about how healthy she was and how people who ate meat were going to die, etc. There was NEVER a nice thing said from her. She was a 'holier than thou' type.
She was about six months pregnant and she miscarried. Reason? E.coli in her lettuce (she had told someone about it). And she tried to continue to be a snob until people would bring up her miscarriage linked to the e.coli in her lettuce.
Dont buy the crap that way you do not have to worry. There are local butchers and that was the way it was before the supercrap houses got into the business. I would not feed ny family with what they sell. Close to 2 million pounds of contaminated meat was returned last year I believe and guess what if you buy frozen stuff it probably wound up in that stuff after they did something to it. Just like all those returned eggs ended up being sold to bakery's and the like after the "cleansed them"
Saw a comment on ecoli and vegetables? There is no reason ever to have ecoli in vegetables as this is a bacteria that lives in animals waste tisse not plants
Breadex, between fertilizer, animals that can come into a field (which I believe was the huge spinach e. coli situation happened with feral pigs a number of years back) and people in general (yes, people can give you e.coli if they lack basic hygiene practices), you can get an illness in unwashed foods or improperly prepared foods. If someone has e.coli or salmonella bacteria on their hands and they touch an apple, that apple now how the bacteria on it.
If you look up the major sources (involving food) of salmonella, e. coli, etc., dark leafy greens is on the list.
From article:
"The risk of choking and dying on that steak is far greater,” than the risk of E. coli poisoning, Raymond said.
Well, I guess that makes it ok then.
No, it means they should have choking warning labels.
The marinade injected meat is probably the real problem. I have found that defrosted blade tenderized meat cooks on the side of the tenderizing cut almost the same as the big surface side on the grill or using a grill pan. Of course the thawed steaks are relatively thin already so 4 minutes on each side is all you need for safety with what I purchase.
Are we all so beaten down that we accept this? The meat industry uses unsafe practices that result in E.coli during processing and then passes responsibility onto the consumer by labeling the meat with a warning???
This is insane and outrageous and one of the many reasons I no longer eat beef.
I find this the most amusing/depressing part of the article:
YOU'RE THE GO---MN GOVERNMENT; WHO CARES WHAT THE INDUSTRY THINKS?!
I mean, come on... how does the industry have power to tell regulators they don't want regulated? That's a pretty big problem.
This is one of the reasons why you don't eat meat? I guess the other reason is that you're a moron.
Eating vegetables can be hazardous to your health also if not cooked properly or eaten raw. Large and small growers often use water contaminated with listeria and e-coli , and maybe they also use fertilizers derived from animal waste or vegetation that hasn't been properly processed to kill these contaminants.
CL38,
Great post. But actually, the situation is even more outrageous than what you have written. In fact, the meat industry uses unsafe practices that result in E.coli during processing and then states that the consumer should not have the right to be warned of the danger with warning labels on the meat.
At least industry is being honest in this point:
Heaven forbid they should tell the people what they're really doing to their food. The consumers might not buy it!
How in the world is that justification for not labelling?
Pink slime, e-coli, what ur Doctor sez, and an industry that does not care, quit eating beef.
Doctors that recommend completely giving up beef are quacks. Buy your meat from a local butcher.
I bet they have no problem recommending duck. :)
Quit eating anything. That is the only sure way not to get sick from ingesting e-coli, listeria, etc.
SCGuardian-
Would you regulate any foods? Where do you draw the line, and why?
Don't worry, Captain. We can see icebergs miles away. Go take your nap and we'll wake you in the morning.
How many food borne illnesses have been reported due to the tenderizing process so far? Oh, that's right... None. Well I do think we should all immediately panic and quit eating food because some congress person thinks we should. Paranoia is such a wonderful thing.
But then, I actually would like to see products completely labeled, because I'd like to know if I'm buying such an inferior steak that you have to poke holes in it before it's edible. In a perfect world the product would be nice and tender in the first place, and all us brilliant chefs would have the good sense to cook it properly before we eat it. Then, that dramatic statistic of how many food borne illnesses have been reported (none?) would be reduced to ...... well, reduced anyhow.
Geez, if we could only bottle paranoia. What a great product that would be.
Did you read the article? They caught it beforehand.
How do you feel about walking through the TSA? They haven't caught any terrorists either.
"How do you feel about walking through the TSA? They haven't caught any terrorists either."
----------------Yeah, you're right........... The FDA should put warning labels on terrorists too.
Please provide links to your research that supports your zero E. Coli breakout on pierced meat.
Madame, It's in the article
Any food product that has been altered by any processing should and must be labeled. It's is unfair and unreasonable to the consumer not to be provided with the information. Telling me to cook my food until it is crappy is not a solution.
If your situation does not allow it if at all possible find a farmer who will sell you 1/4, 1/2 or a whole beef. Use the locker he does to process it to your liking. Smelling a tip roast in the crock pot now, yummy at super time!
Ooops, allow you to raise your own, sorry sleepless night.
But, steak tartar from a crock pot?
Ma'am, just a country boy. Cannot say I've had it served that way.
There have been no cases of illness associated with this practice, and people are STILL wanting it to be called out and labeled and maybe even banned because it seems like it might maybe be unsafe?
Lots of things might maybe be unsafe. I need some evidence before I'll join the "warning label" crusade. Most warning labels are so ridiculous that people just ignore them anyway, no need to glut us with more.
Yeah, it's kind of like the Nixon enemies list, isn't it. If a few names are good, put everyone on it and see how effective it is..............
The article states:
So there have apparently been issues in the past.
Ever wonder about why they have to "tenderize" the cuts? Could those cuts be from an old, old cow to begin with? Age can and does make meats tough.
No terrorists caught by TSA either. Willing to give that up?
SC generally cattle are slaughtered betweet 18-24 months. So the meat shouldn't be that tough.
Really though it seems everything is tainted from fish to fowl is some manner or the other.
what do you think happens to cows too old to keep calving or milking? Hint-they do not go to a green retirement pasture
Genetics plays a big role in meat tenderness as well. There are specific genes that we can and already do have commercial testing for to select cattle that have a genetic predisposition for tenderness.
Have you ever heard of bologna bulls? These are breeding bulls too old to do the job anymore and are sold to be processed as all beef bologna. Whole hog sausage comes from breeding boars and sows that are too old to produce. Camille is telling the truth spot-on. There are no sunny green retirements for older animals, just lower and poorer grades of meat and animals that are totally ground up for burgers or sausage. Do you really think the meat for McNuggets, chicken patties, and the like come from plump grade A fryers? Try worn out egg-layers and old roosters.
It's all about the Dollar and always will be. If you have a good product what do you care about labels that tell the truth about what your trying to stuff down our throats
I think people have a right to know how their food is processed, safe or not. Its all about information. I would rather know something up front than find out later the hard way. Even if it never happens. No need to put a danger label, but maybe something along the lines of this meat has been processed by (insert method). If they are worried it may scare people off, then maybe they shouldn't employ the method. I know people who dont eat hotdogs because they found out how they were made. This type of information does matter to people.
I can't afford to eat meat any more, so I think it should be labeled, lucky you, you get to eat meat!
So much for rare meat on the grill. We supposedly knew bacteria (e-coli) was on the outside of the meat. Jabbing it into the center of the meat gives me the creeps. Not everyone can afford ribeyes.
This is rediculous. A label doesn't cost that much. I would like to have a choice, I want my meat without additives, without being pre-tenderized. I want it with as little processing as possible. And I'm not the only one. I wonder what the manufacturers would do if we all went vegie for a month? A lot of us are just about doing it now because of prices...so it might happen. No meat for a month, particularly in the summer, it wouldn't be hard to do. And it would deliver a message!
Just be sure that those raw or undercooked vegetables are free, also, from e-coli and listeria contaminants.
Please don't attack baloney. It's all that I can afford.
Here's a extra on meat. Did you know some breeders of show dogs. Lay the meat out until maggots are on the meat, before they feed it to their show dogs.(They say, it's extra protein for their dogs.)
What does that have to do with this article? Not a thing. Call it a break.
buy grass fed beef - it's a lot safer and go organic with the fruits, vegetables and grains - more expensive but isn't your health worth it?
Organic can mean manure is used.
There is no difference between organic, natural, and conventional foods in regards to human nutrition and safety.
Tenderized my ass. They are injecting water into the meat and charging $8 a pound for that water. Meat processors don't do this as a service to the customer. They do it to increase the profit margin and selling water at $8 a pound will certainly do that.
Industrial food lobbyists, and their paid help in our Statehouses, have created Food Slander laws in 11 states. It is illegal to speak poorly of the food supply, or to take videos and photographs of food processing plants, feedlots, and hatcheries, even from public land. Their goal is to keep Americans ignorant of what they buy and eat. Labeling requirements are fought often by industrial food and the huge food supply corporations. These days Monsanto is suing the State of Vermont on labeling, seeking to prevent the public, and their government, from knowing what they're eating.
These same profit-first groups and people are against regulations and regulators of any sort, and don't understand that it's regulators and regulations which keep the industrial food supply chain safe and even working - poison enough people and soon enough the market will collapse. It's insidious that we're meant to be held hostage in these markets. It ought to be criminal that we can be sold one thing, thinking it's food. People before profits, I say.
Too bad it wasn't treated with Ammounium Hydroxide.... would of avoide the public health risk.
E-coli sickness outbreaks have gotten worse mainly because people have forgotten the right way to cook meat.
Regardless of what the FDA or Corps say many have a choice where you obtain your food. I no longer go to any of the Major grocery chains to buy most of what i eat. I want to know where my food comes form and whats in it and there are stores that cater to shoppers like me. You can also attempt to buy your food locally from farmers. To do this you will have to do your research and travel farther and it's not convenient but i think it's worth the effort.
Amazing that consumer's are not being told something as simple as this... A Free Market is predicated upon Consumers knowing what they are buying so that they can exercise informed choice - this is yet another indication of big business buying off the Free Market and pushing Government to protect them from consumers.
If the people want to know how their meat is produced then they should get a group of like minded citizens together, contact their local processing plant or even butcher shop and have a tour arranged during business hours. This way you can see what is actually involved in the handling of their food. I worked in a packing house for 12 years and we had people touring the plant every month. Most plants and even local butcher shops are glad to set up tours to see the operation, some advertise tours just to have no one show up. Many times ignorance is 100% backed by laziness on the part of the ignorant. Then a news story about food is published and the ignorant go into a frenzy.
My wife and I live 20 miles outside of a mid-sized city in Washington state. We have 2 1/2 acres and we grow a garden, eat fresh during the season and can for winter. We buy locally grown fruit and also can that for winter. We raise a beef each year and have it butchered at the local butcher. While there is still the chance (although slim) that the meat could become contaminated through the butchering process, the butcher realizes that if he doesn't take all the proper precautions necessary, he would probably get sued and a customer would own his business or he'd be living on the streets. Corporations don't think like that. It's all about profits to them. In many respects, corporations slowly diminish the human value of our country. While I'm fortunate to know where my food comes from and what I'm eating, it troubles me that not everyone can have the same comfort level. I believe all people should be able to feel comfortable about what they and their families eat. It's sad. America should strive to ensure that all food and water is safe.