Date PostedOctober 29, 2012

Risks Involved with Eating Ground Beef

Source : Yuri Long

Ground beef has been identified as one of the highest risk foods contributing to foodborne illness in human beings. E.Coli is the main bacteria found in this contaminated food and some strains can be particularly harmful.

The leading cause of E.Coli bacteria in food is ground beef and for this reason ground beef/mince should never be served raw or undercooked.

Some types of E.Coli bacteria can not only make you sick but can lead to complications that cause death.  The deadly strain of E.Coli O157:H7 has deadly toxins which attack the intestines and can cause hemorrhagic colitis.

Warning signs to look out for related to this type of E.Coli poisoning are fevers, abdominal cramping, watery or bloody diarrhea and vomiting.

The reason minced meat has been identified as the main carrier of this bacterium is because E. coli present in the intestines can infect the parts of the cow used to produce the mince or ground beef. Therefore thoroughly cooking food, especially minced meat is crucial. Even a small amount of undercooked meat can make you sick.

When you buy raw ground minced meat, keep it refrigerated until ready to cook, only keep it for up to 2 days. If you are going to keep it longer than 2 days store it in the freezer. Cook the meat thoroughly before consuming and ensure tools and utensils used for preparation are not exposed to raw meat without being sanitized to prevent cross contamination.

 

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