No hamburgers tonight, please: 129,000 pounds of beef
"products" (ground beef and steak cuts) are being recalled by the USDA
due to suspected E.coli contamination, in a 15-state area. That's a lot of beef and a lot of burger-free families.
The
beef was processed by Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Michigan and
sent to Gordon Foods distribution
centers in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia,
West Virginia, Wisconsin. The affected meats were mostly steak cuts
that were mechanically tenderized (mmm, sounds appetizing). While the
USDA says that steaks rarely are a worrisome carrier of E.coli,
the fact that they were mechanically tenderized leaves some room for
doubt. They suggest that these meats not be served rare.
However
this is a Class I recall, the highest level of hazard (here's a list of open recalls; there are more than you might suspect!). Consumers are,
confusingly, advised to cook the affected beef thoroughly and follow
safe meat-handling practices, and also advised to simply throw away the
affected beef since it's unclear that the "safe" practices would be
enough to protect against E. coli, known to be deadly in children.
The worst part is, there's no way for the consumer to know
whether beef they've purchased is under recall: the recall gives
identifying information as to what's on the box of beef, but how many
of us buy beef in boxes?
If you live in any of the 15
states above, as I do, and you have beef that you've bought anytime
since March 1, when the infected beef began being processed, the USDA
is suggesting that consumers contact the manufacturer's representative,
David Sanford, at (269) 344-1084 ext. 131. And then consider going organic.
