The flames dance as the burgers are pulled off the grill at a perfect 160 degrees. The crickets chirp and the laterns set aglow the mingling couples at the barbecue. The guests laugh and enjoy the evening, taking in the scenery as dusk paints a rainbow of colors across the sky. The mouth-watering smell of hamburgers, set atop a golden, toasted bun with garden fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, attract the guests towards the picnic tables. Paired with a juicy slice of watermelon and a tall glass of iced tea, and soon the party silences as the hungry bunch digs into this classic summer meal.
This scene may seem like a utopia, and has some worried after a recent recall of beef. According to CNN, United Food Group LLC said it is voluntarily expanding a recall of possibly contaminated beef to include all fresh and frozen ground- beef products produced at its plant from April 6 through April 20. The Vernon, Calif., company said the recall involves some 5.3 million pounds that may have been contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.
So what is the beef industry doing about it?
As a cattle producer and a beef consumer, Americans can rest assured that the grilling events should continue without fear. Providing the safest beef in the world is our number one priority and we are committed to winning the battle against E. coli. The incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef has declined more than 80 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to USDA.
Beef industry leaders and the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service are dedicated to providing a safe and wholesome product for all to enjoy and will continue their efforts in eliminating this pathogen.
You can take the proactive approach and eliminate the risk of E. coli O157:H7 for yourself: wash your hands, use a clean plastic cutting board for meat and a separate one for vegetables, thaw meat in the refrigerator or microwave, cook to 160 degrees F, and use clean plates for both raw and cooked meat. With these helpful tips, one can eat beef with ease and safety.
With that in mind, you can still be a lean, mean grilling machine at your summer gatherings and choose beef--the All-American Meal!
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Comments (2)
Dear Ms. George,
You paint an idyllic picture. It is true that in the past several years the beef industry has made some positive strides forward in preventing pathogens like E. coli O157:H7, BUT.....
for every year since 2002 the Centers for Disease Control has reported that 76 million Americans annually suffer from a foodborne illness, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 (or 14 people a day) will die. Those statistics have not changed in five years meaning no overall progress.
I am the executive director of S.T.O.P. - Safe Tables Our Priority, a national nonprofit established in 1993 in the aftermath of the E.Coli outbreak at Jack in the Box West Coast restaurants that killed four and sickened 700.
Each of the victims of foodborne illness, especially the ones who have been the most severely affected have an individual story. Just yesterday a 23-year old woman who had contracted E.coli in 1993 while living in North Dakota had 3/4 of her colon and her gall bladder removed, the long-term after affects of how this pathogen had ravaged her then eight-year old body and had left her in pain ever since. She will wear a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.
S.T.O.P. and the food industry have a common enemy, the microscopic pathogens that sicken so many people. There has been some progress, but what do you say to the parents of a dying six-year old who had eaten a contaminated hamburger who in their grief offered to transplant any organ that could be salvaged only to hear from the doctors that the bacteria already had done so much damage in a few days there were no organs they could transplant?
Please do not forget the names and faces behind these statistics or you will miss these human tragedies. Don't Americans deserve to know that the simple act of eating is not a potentially life-threatening or life-altering act? That should be our common goal.
Sincerely,
Morris Rodenstein
Executive Director
S.T.O.P. - Safe Tables Our Priority
301-585-7867 (STOP)
Posted by Morris Rodenstein | June 13, 2007 8:00 AM
Posted on June 13, 2007 08:00
Dear Mr. Rodenstein,
Thank you for your comments. I can see we share the common goal of maintaining a safe food supply for consumers. .
I feel so sorry for anyone who has suffered from food poisoning. My five-year-old cousin, Stetson, became ill after he contracted E. Coli from a glass of apple juice. The risks of food borne pathogens are in many of the foods we eat, and that is why I shares some information specific to beef about how consumers can help to reduce the risks.
I’m proud to be part of an industry that is seriously committed to reducing the risks of food borne illnesses. Beef producers have invested millions of dollars in research that has helped reduce the incidence of E. Coli in ground beef. As a beef consumer, I feel confident in the safety of beef. From pasture to plate, there are caring people within the beef industry working hard everyday to provide a quality product for all of us to enjoy.
Thank you again for reading the blog and reaching out. Please contact me anytime with questions or concerns about the health and safety of beef.
Posted by Amanda Nolz | June 17, 2007 10:43 AM
Posted on June 17, 2007 10:43