A Cheap Step Toward Healthier Living

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:00:00 GMT

I am about to save you a small fortune in vitamins, herbs, antibacterial products and cleaning supplies. You can thank me later.

Want to reduce the amount of germs that your kids, spouse and/or pets come into contact with? Take your shoes off when you walk in the door.

According to a new study, shoes can be home to more than 420,000 bacteria, 27 percent of which were a deadly form of E. coli. If you leave your shoes on and walk around your house, all of that bacteria is easily transferred to carpet and hard tile, where small people can get it all over their hands, knees and faces. Yum.

So get those shoes off! Let your tootsies go!

Massive Beef Recall: It's What's Not for Dinner

Karen Murphy — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:04:00 GMT

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.

Strollerderby : E. coli

A Cheap Step Toward Healthier Living

Massive Beef Recall: It's What's Not for Dinner