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Most of the safety hazards in ground beef
turn up long before the meat reaches
your refrigerator. For that reason, we've
listed suggestions for policymakers. But
because you're the final checkpoint, we've
also listed steps you can take to ensure
the food you serve is safe.
Government and industry can:
*Keep it clean. Industry studies have
shown that scrupulous observance of
sanitation procedures can remove all but
a tiny fraction of dangerous bacteria. The
recent Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks
demonstrate that observance hasn't been
scrupulous enough.
*Strengthen the USDA's hand. The
agency should be able to shut down
ground-beef plants that fail Salmonella
tests, order recalls of contaminated meat,
and issue civil fines for violations-none
of which it can do under current law. Sen.
Tom Harkin, D- Iowa, has introduced legislation that would accomplish these
goals. It would also allow the USDA to set
standards for any other microbes it considers hazardous in beef and poultry.
*Test sooner. Now, the USDA tests for
E. coli O157:H7 only after beef has been
ground. A coalition of groups including
the Consumer Federation of America, of
which Consumers Union is a member,
advocates government tests of carcasses
and trim to find tainted meat before it's
mixed into tons of ground beef. Although
many plants do their own testing for disease-causing germs, they're not required
to make this information public.
*Strengthen the feed ban. It's still legal to
give hogs and poultry feed that includes
tissue from cattle. In turn, it's legal for hog
and poultry tissue to be used in cattle
feed. That leaves a back door open for the
transmission of mad-cow disease: Infected cow tissue could be fed to a hog
whose carcass was then used in cattle feed.
*Curb feedlot emissions. In 2000, under
legal pressure from environmentalists, the
Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations that would bring feedlots under stricter and more uniform
national control. All feedlots would have
to secure federal pollution-discharge permits and keep manure out of nearby
streams and lakes. After a court order, the
Bush Administration agreed to implement
those regulations early in 2003.
You can:
*Buy case-ready ground beef. It was less
likely to be approaching spoilage than
store-packaged meat.
*Buy ground beef last. Put the package in
a disposable plastic bag before setting it in
your cart, to prevent leaking juices from
reaching other foods.
*Get ground beef home fast. Leave it in
its outer plastic bag. Make sure the fridge
is no warmer than 40 degrees F. Refrigeration
won't kill germs that are already on the
meat but will retard their growth.
*If you don't plan to cook the meat within one or two days, wrap it tightly and
freeze it. Frozen ground beef tastes best if
used within four months.
*Mop up spilled juices with paper towels,
not sponges. Wash your hands, and whatever you or the meat touched, with hot
soapy water.
*Use two sets of plates and utensils: one
for raw meat, the other for cooked.
*Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees
F. Doing so will
kill bacteria that can cause illness (though
it won't undo spoilage odors or flavor).
Use a meat thermometer: You can't always
judge temperature by interior color.
If you like your beef rare, choose a
steak or roast, which needn't be cooked as
thoroughly as ground beef. Discard any
used marinade.
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