Beef Recall

With summer comes barbecue season, and with barbecue season comes beef. But just prior to July 4, one of the biggest cookout days of the year, Nebraska Beef, Ltd. expanded an earlier recall of meat products to approximately 5.3 million pounds of beef. The Omaha, Nebraska, firm supplies meat to the Kroger Company, which expanded its June 25 recall of ground beef products on the same day. The original recalls were issued when the meat was linked to 35 illnesses in Michigan and Ohio as a result of infection by E. coli O157:H7, a particularly virulent strain that generally causes stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and a slight fever. Symptoms typically clear up, untreated, in five to seven days, but more severe and possibly life-threatening infections can occur, particularly in young children and the elderly. Investigation by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service revealed that Nebraska Beef's production practices, "...are insufficient to effectively control E. coli O157:H7 in their beef products that are intended for grinding," according to the FSIS's website.

The Nebraska Beef recall includes all beef manufacturing trimmings and other products intended for use in raw ground beef produced between May 16 and June 26.  Kroger's recall affects various products with sell-by dates between May 17 and July 5 in numerous Kroger retailers in more than 20 states, including Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee (for a complete list of stores carrying the recalled products, see the FSIS's announcement).

E. coli occurs naturally in the lower intestines of all warm-blooded animals, but a cow's diet can lead to an unhealthy imbalance of the bacteria. Although cattle naturally feed on grass, most are fed corn because of its low cost and because it prompts the quick weight gain when cattle are "finished" in feedlots for the six months prior to slaughter. A corn-fed diet causes cows to develop unnaturally acidic colons, leading to a better environment for an E. coli population to thrive. Even in cows that were switched to a grass-only diet five days before slaughter, the difference was substantial: Their levels of E. coli were 1,000 times lower than their corn-fed counterparts1. In this case, just buying organic won't help. Instead, make sure to buy grass-finished beef. Check out Localharvest.org to find a list of farmer's markets in your area—they can provide information on where and how their beef was raised—or buy beef certified by the American Grassfed Association (for a list of producers, see their website).

Once your meat products are at home, make sure to only refrigerate them for three to five days; if it's going to be stored longer, freeze it. Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator or microwave, and make sure it's cooked properly—to 160 degrees internally, according to the FSIS. For more information, see "The Omnivore's Green Grill" for food preparation tips when grilling.