Doubts raised over the safety of conventional ground beef

New tests on ground beef have revealed that cattle raised in the conventional method contain a concerning level of germs. A total of 18% of the sampled beef contained dangerous superbugs that were resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics used to treat humans. This was compared to just 9% of samples sourced from sustainably-produced cattle.

According to US public health institute Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in six Americans, or 48 million, suffer from food poisoning every year. Undercooked meat is a major cause of the illness, with beef being prepared ‘rare’ a favourite among many. Additionally, Consumer Reports claims that the grinding process used to manufacturer ground beef can potentially distribute bacteria throughout the meat.

However, cooking ground beef at 160°F should kill harmful bacteria, while reheating leftover dishes containing the meat product should be warmed at 165°F.

Investigation​

To carry out its investigation, Consumer Reports bought 300 packages, an equivalent of 458lb, of conventionally and sustainably produced ground beef from a range of stores in cities across the US.

Five common types of bacteria associated with beef were tested for within the samples: clostridium perfringens​, E.coli (including O157 and six other toxin producing strains), Enterococcus, Salmonella and staphylococcus aureus​.

All of the tested beef samples contained bacteria. The findings revealed that ground beef produced from sustainably raised cows were significantly less likely to have two possibly harmful types of bacteria – S.aureus​ and E.coli – than ground beef sourced from cattle raised conventionally.

Antibiotics​

The sustainable cattle in the study were raised without the influence of antibiotics. In some cases they were either organic or grass-fed, or both. Sustainable cattle have access to pasture and are fed a grass-based diet. They are often treated more humanely than conventional cows that live on feedlots. The latter are also fed antibiotics on a regular basis, as well as animal waste and other by-products.

“Better ways of producing beef from farm to fork have real impact on the health and safety of our food and the animals themselves,”​ explained Urvashi Ranhan, executive director of the Centre for Food Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports.

“Farming animals without antibiotics is the first step toward a more sustainable system. Grass-fed animals and good welfare practices produce fewer public health risks.”​

Consumer Reports recommends that consumers thoroughly read labels when purchasing ground beef. Labels to be aware of included 'no antibiotics', 'grass-fed', 'organic', and 'American Grassfed Association', it said.

Other findings​

Other findings from Consumer Reports tests include:
• More than 80% of conventional beef contained two types of bacteria.
• Almost 20% of the beef samples contained C.perfringens​, bacteria that causes nearly a million cases of food poisoning annually.
• 10% of the tested beef carried a strain of S.aureus​ bacteria, which is able to produce a toxin that makes consumers sick. This cannot be killed even with proper cooking.

Called on government​

Consumer Reports has called on the federal government to take action in protecting the public from food poisoning. It is also urging the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to:

• Ban the use of daily antibiotics in healthy animals
• Make sure that meaningful labels are not undermined by labels such as 'natural', which have nothing to do with the way in which the animal was raised or its diet.
• Take on recommendations to expand animal welfare standards for organic beef.
• Enhance inspections, including having an inspector at every slaughter and processing plant.
• Ban the sale of beef containing disease-causing, antibiotic-resistant salmonella and prohibit chicken waste in cattle feed.

The full article, ‘How Safe is Your Beef?’​, is available online and will also be published in the October issue of Consumer Reports’ magazine which hits newsstands on 3 September.