The Problem with Tenderized Beef
Injury issues aside (see John Mcdonalds HUS story), the problem with tenderized beef is that it internalizes bacteria from the surface of intact cuts of beef, thereby reducing the likelihood that cooking will serve as an effective kill step. The recent (ongoing???) outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to National Steak and Poultry products occurred because the cuts of beef were mechanically tenderized. In fact, somewhat frighteningly, a majority of the steaks and roasts destined for consumption at hotels, restaurants, and other institutional settings are mechanically tenderized. Clearly, unless consumers stop eating tenderized beef or a reliable pre-cooking kill step is established and actually used, the onus for the task of manufacturing safe beef products remains squarely on the manufacturers' shoulders.
"Manufacturer" is a broad term, and I intend to confine it to no one entity in the process of manufacturing beef products. It includes slaughterhouses and retail meat producers alike (e.g. National Steak and Poultry). Because our inboxes and voicemail systems are already filling up with inquiries about the outbreak, we will have the opportunity to discover everything that National Steak and Poultry, and the entities who sold it the contaminated products, knew about the risks associated with tenderized beef. And more importantly, we will have the opportunity to discover what those entities did to minimize or eliminate the risk that consumers of their products would become infected by E. coli O157:H7.
For starters, we will be interested to know what studies these entities participated in to research both the prevelance of E. coli and other bacteria on the surface and in the interior of tenderized beef; what the results of those studies were; and how these entities used or acted upon the results of their work. If the answer is, as it very well may be, "No, we did not fund or participate in any such studies," i'm not sure that's going to mean much in front of a jury who is going to hear that such studies have, in fact, been done.
One such study by The Center for Red Meat Safety at Colorado State University, which sought to determine the efficacy of anti-microbial treatments at various stages of the manufacturing process, found that the obvious was true: bacteria is very hard to effectively remove or kill once it has been introduced into the interior of the beef; but that surface interventions can effectively reduce the contamination load on the surface of the product. See the whole study here. The timing of the chosen treatment (in the study, researchers used both water and lactic acid) is also important, as the study quite logically found that the treatments were more effective when done prior to tenderization.
The main point of this study, or at least the point that i think we should all take from this and other similar studies, is that there is no failsafe method, in use presently, of eliminating bacteria from the surface or interior of beef products once those products become contaminated. Thus, manufacturers must attack the problem of bacterial contamination on meat products where interventions can be more effectively applied: during the slaughtering process. If we prevent meat from becoming contaminated in the first place, the need to eliminate contamination from the surface or interior of the meat will cease to exist.
Of course, you guys have it all wrong. The problem is unhealthy beef, raised in unhealthy conditions, on unhealthy feed (corn). Corn is not a natural part of a bovine diet. Cows are grass grazers.
When cows are fed grass, the e. coli count in their digestive systems drops by a whopping 90 to 95%.
So really people, simply MAKE SURE that you are getting 100% grass fed, range fed beef. Your safety level goes up accordingly.
Of course, you guys have it all wrong. The problem is unhealthy beef, raised in unhealthy conditions, on unhealthy feed (corn). Corn is not a natural part of a bovine diet. Cows are grass grazers.
When cows are fed grass, the e. coli count in their digestive systems drops by a whopping 90 to 95%.
So really people, simply MAKE SURE that you are getting 100% grass fed, range fed beef. Your safety level goes up accordingly.
In regard to the "internalizing" of the bacteria via pounding/tenderizing, I would think the more damaged meat should be held by hamburger. It is well know throughout the retail food business that meatcutters routinely "roll" hamburger over to reveal the less-air effected red portion. I would think that if steak is prone to E coli when tenderized, that hamburger(already filled with tons of bacteria) would sound all kinds of alarms to the media.
Exception:
YES.....There is a cure for the problem and it
has been used for several years in Europe.
It is called IRRADIATING of Foods. Milk,
Fresh Vegtables, Meat and Fish and most other
food products that are irradiated lose none of
their taste and any E-Coli and other bad bacteria
are killed...
JE
Time to require irridation at any company that fails this way.
Hey bird brains, BB 101, et. al. Any time you cut thruough the mass, you open the opportunity for contamination; I learned that at the age of 12 from my Texas A&M educated daddy. If you introduce foreign objects into the meat (i.e. meat grinder, tenderizer or what have you), you cook it to 160F plus which means MW (Medium Well) to WD (Well Done).
If you want the Rare/Med-Rare, you damn sure don't do it with a hamburger.....and all the Chili's in Dallas Texas that think this is cool, can stand the heat when they get sued for ecoli or other toxins they introduce into their patrons as a result of their idea that a Rare or Med-rare hamburger is "COOL".
In reply to Jon E. and Jon Smith: There are huge amounts of pressure against irradiation, and ignorance about it. I requested that my local super market carry irradiated meat, as it's safer. The butcher who does the meat ordering explained, very firmly to me, that all meat is irradiated. So I went home, printed him off the FDA literature, and told him to read it. My meat was never ordered in. The FDA needs to relabel irradiation ("Eww! Radiation causes birth defects! That's why I don't microwave popcorn!") to Naturobacteriopathy ("Oh, that sounds like something my acupuncturist would say, is it a kind of healthfood bar? Does it have Spirulina in it??")
This should let the powers that be at USDA and Texas Agriculture, and various Rick Perry appointed boards, that want to shove N.A.I.S. up our butts that what the producers are all saying is true;MOST OF THE CONTAMINATION OCCURS AT THE MEAT PACKERS OR RETAILERS, NOT ON OUR PREMISES!! STOP TRYING TO SHOVE THE MONEY MAKING, GOVERNMENT BIG BROTHER TACTICS ONTO THE PRODUCERS.WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INTERFERENCE WHILE WE WORK OUR TAILS OFF WITH NO HELP FROM ANYONE....
gary albertson:
Yes, hamburger meat also has this problem which is why it is always suggested to cook hamburger all the way through.
The problem with cuts of meat having internal bacteria is that they are often cooked medium rare or rare, which means that such bacteria won't be killed effectively. It wouldn't be a problem either if it were not tenderized before the outside was cleaned or if it was cooked all the way through.
It is all close to the mark above but the MAIN PROBLEM with the meat industry is that food is a for profit enterprise in the USA and nearly all other countries and that is where the problem lies at heart.
Manufacturers do not want to spend money on safety when it is cheaper, and more profitable, to let it go its own way. Take the money out of the food industry and the product(s) will be safer!
Take a close look at your Wal-Mart store. every meat item i have looked at in the so called fresh meat case is injected. all beef,pork,chicken,turkey,lamb all injected
they will not pay real meat cutters to give their customers a good product and the stores show it wal-mart in the last few years is pushing pre prepared dinners/entres. trying to sell you on convenience/cost per serving, don't buy it!it's garbage and don't be afraid to tell them about it!