Ground Beef and E Coli: How to Avoid Contamination

Is your ground beef safe? This is becoming an increasingly frequent question in this day and age as companies have lately sent out mass recalls of ground beef due to E Coli contamination. While our first reaction is to simply avoid consuming ground beef at all, there are ways to still serve beef for supper and yet ensure the safety of your family.

First of all, what exactly is E Coli? E Coli (or Escherichia coli) is a bacteria commonly found in cattle feces that can be spread by animals and humans. E Coli is found in many places in our environment, the most notable source being ground beef. Raw or undercooked ground beef, to be exact.

There are several precautions that should be taken to avoid E Coli contamination:

1) Completely avoid undercooked beef. This is the number one way to avoid any E Coli-related illness. When grilling or cooking ground beef at home, be certain to cook the ground beef until it is not pink in the middle and the juices run clear. Optimally, you should have a meat thermometer on hand and check the meat to see if it reaches an interior temperature of at least 160 degrees before serving. In the event that you eat out at a restaurant, be sure the meat has no pink color inside whatsoever. Gone are the days of eating rare beef, if not, they should be! Complete and thorough cooking of ground beef kills the E Coli bacteria, making our hamburgers and the like then safe to consume.

2) Another precaution to observe when it comes to ground beef, is to studiously clean and all surfaces that may have come in contact with the raw meat. Isolate any dishes and utensils, never put cooked meat on the same plate where the raw meat has been. Wash hands immediately after handling raw meat.

3) Defrost meats in the refrigerator or the microwave, never leave it sitting out on the counter to defrost. Once defrosted, prepare immediately.

While these next two tips do not apply specifically to ground beef, they're both timely and important tips another for steering clear of E Coli contamination:

4) Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Use a crockpot to carry hot foods to picnics and gatherings and keep cold foods on ice or refrigerated.

5) Always refrigerate leftovers promptly--or throw them away. Do not risk it if you are not sure how long a certain food has been sitting out.

6) Last, but far from least, is to regularly wash your hands especially those people with diarrhea or those who work in daycare centers or elderly care homes.

While E Coli contamination is a very scary thing and the illnesses that result are serious and even deadly, with knowledge and the proper handling of things, we can keep everyone safe.