Valley Meat Beef Recall Prompted By E. Coli Outbreak, 1 Million Pounds May Be Affected

[babsbunny]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/06/valley-meat-beef-recall-e-coli-1-million-pounds_n_674191.html

MARCUS WOHLSEN | 08/ 6/10 06:29 PM

SAN FRANCISCO — A meat processor recalled about 1 million pounds of ground beef products Friday after seven people were sickened by E. coli contamination.

Valley Meat Co., of Modesto, sold the potentially contaminated beef patties and ground beef in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

[DJ13]

1. What I find most disturbing is that the last date of processing was in January

That means all that beef has been frozen at least 8 months.

YECH!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. It just doesn't pay to buy ground beef...

...outside of the vegetarian / vegan stance, once you learn how commercial ground beef is processed, it's easy to lose your taste for commercial ground beef.

I've heard it said that the average Big Mac can contain beef that came from 100 different animals.

Not to mention the gristle, bone, etc. which can sometimes find its way into the grinder.

The local market has very lean "boneless stew beef"...cuts of chuck...and a one pound package is around $5. I bring it home, triple-grind it in the KitchenAid meat grinder attachment, voila.

I know that any meat can pose a health risk, but grinding your own ground beef is the easiest way I know of to minimize the risks that come with commercial ground beef.