The USDA first established E. coli O157:H7 as a contaminant in raw ground beef and began random testing of meat in 1994. But infrequent, random testing was not enough to effectively control E. coli outbreaks. So in 1996, the USDA enacted a rule called the Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation, and control of food safety hazards, including foodborne pathogens, for slaughter plants. The aim is to recognize contaminated beef or other food products before they are shipped off to distributors and consumers. Money invested to prevent outbreaks is a much better investment than dealing with the consequences of an outbreak.
Obviously, these industry standards are not 100% effective and contaminated beef does enter the food supply. Because of this, consumers should be aware of several steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of E. coli through ground beef.
WASH YOUR HANDS. This is the single most important way to prevent the spread of E. coli. Any time you handle ground beef or any object that may have come in contact with ground beef, or before you are about to eat, you must wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. For tips on how to properly wash your hands see the CDC handwashing guide.- Avoid Cross Contamination. Make sure to clean all surfaces, cutlery and dishes that come in contact with raw ground beef. E. coli can easily be transferred from contaminated beef to other food or objects in the kitchen. For example, if you are cutting up ground beef and forget to clean the cutting board and then cut some vegetables on the same cutting board, E. coli can be transferred to the vegetables.
- Thoroughly cook ground beef. Ground beef is needle tenderized, so E. coli bacteria may be present on both the inside and outside. The best way to check if the meat is “done” is to use a meat thermometer, just because the meat is brown does not mean it has reached a safe temperature. The USDA recommends the minimum internal temperature of ground beef to be 160 ˚F (71 ˚C) for at least 15 seconds when cooking the meat. For more information about the use of meat thermometers and guidelines for other meat products, see the USDA Thermometer Fact Sheet.
- Freeze unused ground beef. Unless you are going to use ground beef within a day or two after purchasing it, the safest way to store ground beef is in the freezer. Bacteria are essentially unable to reproduce when frozen, so even if bacteria is present on a sample of meat, it will not spread. However, freezing does NOT kill bacteria; the meat must still be heated to an internal temperature of 160 ˚F when cooked. One must be especially careful when cooking frozen ground beef because the outside will cook much faster than the inside, giving a false appearance of being done.
Sources:
1. USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Principles and Application Guidelines, 1997. Online at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/nacmcfp.html
2. Dr. Catherine Woteki, E. coli –An Agent for Change, speech given to the Ceres Forum of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, Sept. 25, 1997, Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Text Online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/speeches/1997/cerescw.htm
3. CDC, Eschereichia coli General Information, 2008. Online at http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/stec_gi.html#16
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