AMERICA'S GROUND BEEF: FULL OF POOP

Burger lovers should think twice about the ground beef they buy for their Labor Day barbecues, Consumer Reports warned yesterday. After testing 458 pounds of ground beef from 26 cities across the country, the consumer-safety magazine found that all of it contained fecal contamination bacteria, which can cause blood or urinary-tract infections. The tested meat was from both conventionally raised cows, which were fed grain, soy and antibiotics on feedlots, and cows raised in a “sustainable” environment, including those that were antibiotic-free, organic, and grass-fed. The report urged consumers to buy sustainable beef whenever possible because the study found less bacteria in those meats than in the conventionally raised animals given antibiotics. Most of America’s beef is processed by four companies that can slaughter about 400 cattle an hour – meaning it’s difficult for the US Department of Agriculture to adequately inspect all the plants, the magazine noted. “The sheer volume of beef that big-company plants crank out means that a quality-control mistake at a single plant can lead to packages of contaminated beef ending up in stores and restaurants across 20 or 30 states,” Patty Lovera, assistant director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, told the magazine. The study also noted that 28 percent of Americans like their beef medium rare, which opens up the possibility of superbugs and bacteria not getting cooked off. It is now recommended that consumers cook their beef to 160 degrees – the equivalent of medium. “There’s no way to tell by looking at a package of meat or smelling it whether it has harmful bacteria or not,” Rangan said. “You have to be on guard every time.”
* Somebody’s not washing their hands.
* This story has been brought to you by Chik-Fil-A, who reminds you: “Eat Mor Chikin.”
* Now I’m REALLY angry that beef costs so much.
* ALL the beef had fecal bacteria? What are they doing, grinding it up in the toilet?
* If ground beef has this much fecal bacteria, imagine what’s in rump roast.
* That smug sound you hear is all the vegetarians out there smirking.
* Well, it’s official: It’s now safer to eat road kill.
* So this means your barbecue grill is like an open air toilet.
* Remember the good old days when the problem with cows was the methane?