21.7 million pounds of meat recalled

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: CNN

updated 1 minute ago

21.7 million pounds of meat recalled

RENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- The Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded its recall of frozen hamburger patties that may be contaminated with the E. coli bacteria and may have sickened more than a dozen people in eight states.

Topps said it was recalling 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products distributed to retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States, up from the 332,000 pounds it recalled on Tuesday.

The recall represents all Topps products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25 this year and September 25, 2008. The Elizabeth, New Jersey-based company said this information is found on a package's back panel.

All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend, the company said.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/29/meat.recall.ap/index.html

[Mojorabbit]

1. We are becoming

a third world country when it comes to food safety it seems. It breaks my heart to see the waste of so much food due esp if it was caused by poor processing standards.

[Warpy]

2. Cook those burgers WELL DONE

and steak tartare is off the menu unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the steak came from a steer that was uncontaminated during butchery...and you grind the meat yourself.

I can't believe people are still risking rare burgers and raw meat in any form. It's begging for trouble.

[BootinUp]

4. Well,

its hard to break certain habits I guess. I tend to be very careful about the use by dates. I cook my burgers medium, I cook steaks medium rare. Most the rest of my family prefers well done.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. I grind the meat myself.

I'm a Kitchen Aid junkie. I have the meat grinder attachment and buy chuck (usually "beef stew meat") so my ground beef has no surprises in it. I also have the fruit and vegetable strainer, which works in conjunction with the grinder, and I put whole canned tomatoes through it. No seeds, no skin, killer fresh marinara sauce.

I went to a local restaurant recently and their menu addresses your concerns. There is a friendly warning that people should order their ground beef items cooked within safety standards (internal temperature of 160 °F according to the USDA, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/ground_beef_and_food_safety/index.asp).

:toast:

[ellenfl]

8. but how do you know the beef you grind is clean to begin with? eom

[hedgehog]

10. The difference is that you're grinding a small amount of meat and playing the odds .

When meat is ground in an industrial plant, large amounts from many different animals are mixed together, so if one batch is contaminated, all the meat in the mixer becomes contaminated.

[Warpy]

11. There is less surface area exposed to contamination

and there is little chance of contamination from other meat. Industrial grinders do tons at a time. One contaminated cut at the beginning can contaminate a whole batch by contaminating the grinder.

It's always safer to grind it yourself. The only problem is getting adequate fat into the mixture. Super lean ground beef from super lean cuts of meat tastes like cardboard.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. Two elements to that:

1). No way to guarantee that ANYTHING we eat is clean (just look to the recent lettuce / spinach ecoli outbreaks for proof of that). Ground beef is heavily processed and there are a number of other factors which add to the risk you take by simply purchasing a "straight" cut of beef.

2). One element that greatly pushes up the risk factor of ground beef is what goes into it...

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/mad-cow-disease.asp

What Is Mad Cow Disease?

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), known in vernacular as Mad Cow Disease, is one of a group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). These transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, fatal diseases affect the central nervous system of many animals including man and cause neurological symptoms. These diseases include BSE in cattle, Scrapie in sheep, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in elk and deer, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans among others.

What Causes Mad Cow Disease?

The causative agent for these diseases have not been proven exactly, however, numerous theories exist. The leading and most accepted theory is that the diseases are caused by a prion (a protein particle). Other theories involve a virus, Spiroplasma bacteria, organophosphates, magnesium, aluminum, and the autoimmune system.

Though not proven how, BSE may be spread to humans. Evidence indicates that nvCJD has occurred after consuming BSE-contaminated cattle products. Evidence has also indicated that the transmission of BSE to humans is only possible with the consumption of brain, eyes, lymph nodes or spinal tissue. The outbreak of BSE in cattle, which occurred in Britain, is believed to have started from the feeding of Scrapie-contaminated sheep meat and bone meal to cattle. This outbreak was then made worse by the practice of feeding rendered bovine meat and bone meal to young calves.

:toast:

[Peregrine Took]

3. All those animals were butchered for nothing. What a waste. n/t

[bronxiteforever]

5. we have a third world food inspection system!

:argh:

[madrchsod]

7. we have third world plant owners and mangers

there is no way this should happen if every step is taken to insure no bacteria entered in the food processing chain . 21.7 million lbs means no one checked the machines , workers ,or the final product during packaging/storage.

i guess 21.7 million lbs fell through the cracks in their.....


"We take food
safety very seriously."


http://www.toppsmeat.com/safety.html
Topps Meat - Food Safety

[kestrel91316]

9. Grind your OWN beef, people. It's not hard or expensive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_grinder

I have one like in the picture. Got it from an antique shop, though it is not an antique per se. I grind beef, pork, and chicken easily AND CLEANLY.

[BRLIB]

13. Some tips on grinding I got from the Internets

1. Chill down everything really cold before grinding to avoid a "mush".
The meat can be almost starting to freeze.

2. Cut the meat in long strips close to the diameter of the feed tube as it will then be "self-feeding"

3. Process larger chunks of of fat separately first, and then feed that along with the meat to have a uniform blend.

[DramaOnHwy61]

14. That's a FULL YEAR'S worth of ground beef production at that plant

Which would point to a chronic lack of inspection, quality control (and hygiene...).

The recall represents all Topps products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25 this year and September 25, 2008.

Large meat processing plants are a huge liability to public health.

[kimmerspixelated]

15. Are these dangers with the organic meats,

like Laura's beef or Nature's Promise?

[WilyWondr]

16. Another "Mission Accomplished"

The US beef industry and the USDA, under this administration, have been very busy dragging their feet. They don't have time to do anything else.

On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, more commonly known as the 2002 Farm Bill. One of its many initiatives requires country of origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities and peanuts. On January 27, 2004, President Bush signed Public Law 108-199 which delays the implementation of mandatory COOL for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until September 30, 2006. On November 10, 2005, President Bush signed Public Law 109-97, which delays the implementation for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised and shellfish until September 30, 2008.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL/

Country of Origin Labeling would not be hard to do if they didn't have SO much to hide.

The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.--P.J. O'ROURKE

[Sukie1941]

17. Thanks for the meat grinding tips

I rarely eat hamburger as I prefer petite sirloin steaks and buy them on sale in family packs (I cook for one). Good bargain and little meat waste.

I do like hamburger and it is true that if it is too "low fat" then you don't get that flavor we all like.

I purchase my meat at a locally-owned store that grinds its own hamburger from good cuts of beef. Since I don't eat it much, I do think I don't have much to worry about.

Stay away from organ (liver, tongue, brain etc) meats, anything to do with the animals' nervous system (like spinal area) to avoid mad cow disease and others. Little problem with steak-type cuts.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

18. k&r. nt

[OhioChick]

19. What the Hell is Safe, Anymore? n/t