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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

Re: 62,000 Lbs. Beef Recall

[ Edited ]

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

@sidsmom wrote:

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

am thinking we are focusing so much on the animals that we forget about the humans who handle the meat while its being processed.


@GAQShopr53 

Huh?

You do realize animals are the main carriers for E. coli O157:H7?

You do realize animals show no signs when affected?

And you do realize humans wouldn’t get E. coli O157:H7

if it wasn’t for the affected animals?

 

In summary....we need LESS meat in the world (but that’s another 

topic for another thread)....but if someone is bound & determined

to eat meat, we need MORE focus on the health of animals.

 

So to imply all these human processors are somehow/someway 

contaminating the meat is....crazy talk.  


 

You should ask for clarification of responses if you don't understand the response @sidsmom . I Do Realize that animals are the main carriers of E.coli and I stand by my point that infected humans can and do transmit E.coli. I don't talk foolish talk and don't appreciate you implying so. The systems spends a great deal of time ensuring the animals are safe and I don't believe they consider that some of the contamination may be caused by infected humans during the processing of the meat. 


OK.

Find me 1 instance, 1 case, where 1 person was the original source

for a national outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 causing a national recall

like the one in the original post.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,739
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: 62,000 Lbs. Beef Recall

[ Edited ]

We don't know what happened prior to the establishment of the FDA. Dirty hands touching grinding machines ,were capable of contaminating meat

 

 

Though FDA can trace its origins back to the creation of the Agricultural Division in the Patent Office in 1848, its origins as a federal consumer protection agency began with the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act. This law was the culmination of about 100 bills over a quarter-century that aimed to rein in long-standing, serious abuses in the consumer product marketplace.

 

 

We also don't know how the  current victims handled the meat. Did they wash their hands, did they keep work surfaces clean? Was the meat  in direct contact with other dishes, or  foods, and then they used or served  off  without cleaning?

 

(Some people consume raw hamburger. I had a friend that loved Steak Tartare, but she was smart enough to tell her butcher, that she wanted to eat it raw ,and he ground it for her. She never ate prepackaged hamburger for this  dish)

 

How long did they cook the meat? Consuming undercooked meat is tricky, and so is eating raw eggs. Everyone it seems, didn't get sick, so there might be more to this than  it  shows  on the surface

 

I watched a TV talk show ,and one of the women claimed her mother was a scientist, and said ,people wash their hands too much ,and it isn't necessary to wash your hands after using the restroom...I nearly got sick

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,739
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Consumer Reports’ food safety experts stress the importance of proper handling and cooking of the meat. “Toxin-producing strains of bacteria like E. coli O103 are virulent,” says James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety and testing at Consumer Reports. “You don’t have to eat a lot of the bacteria to get sick.”

In this outbreak, 28 people have been hospitalized and two people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure and death.

Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of 160° F will kill the bacteria, but you also have to make sure that you handle raw ground beef carefully. “There are a lot of opportunities for cross contamination,” Rogers says. “For example, let’s say you buy a large package of ground beef and split it into smaller packages when you get home, and that meat contains the kind of bacteria that can make you sick. You reach for the faucet to wash your hands. Washing removes the bacteria, but when you shut off the faucet, you may recontaminate your hands. Then anything that you touch can become contaminated. It’s pretty easy to spread the bacteria around.”

In addition to properly cooking ground beef, follow these food safety steps:

• Always thaw ground beef (and any meat) in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

• Wash your hands and any kitchen equipment you used after handling raw meat with warm soapy water. Be careful not to touch the faucet with dirty hands. Use your elbow or a paper towel to turn it on. Be sure to wipe countertops down, too.  

• Put cooked leftovers in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours. If you’re making sauce or another dish with ground beef, don’t let it cool too long on the counter before putting it into containers and refrigerating or freezing. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,707
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@sidsmom wrote:

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

@sidsmom wrote:

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

am thinking we are focusing so much on the animals that we forget about the humans who handle the meat while its being processed.


@GAQShopr53 

Huh?

You do realize animals are the main carriers for E. coli O157:H7?

You do realize animals show no signs when affected?

And you do realize humans wouldn’t get E. coli O157:H7

if it wasn’t for the affected animals?

 

In summary....we need LESS meat in the world (but that’s another 

topic for another thread)....but if someone is bound & determined

to eat meat, we need MORE focus on the health of animals.

 

So to imply all these human processors are somehow/someway 

contaminating the meat is....crazy talk.  


 

You should ask for clarification of responses if you don't understand the response @sidsmom . I Do Realize that animals are the main carriers of E.coli and I stand by my point that infected humans can and do transmit E.coli. I don't talk foolish talk and don't appreciate you implying so. The systems spends a great deal of time ensuring the animals are safe and I don't believe they consider that some of the contamination may be caused by infected humans during the processing of the meat. 


OK.

Find me 1 instance, 1 case, where 1 person was the original source

for a national outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 causing a national recall

like the one in the original post.  


Secondary outbreaks (person to person), which are not uncommon, should not be ignored or downplayed just because they do not cause a "national outbreak".  Secondary infections can be as devastating and dangerous as primary infections and victims are usually children.  There have been secondary outbreaks in daycares, preschools and schools.  Most secondary outbreaks are localized.  Additionally, primary outbreaks can also be localized so do not trigger a national recall.

 

According to the CDC (emphasis added); STEC is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli :


Where do STEC come from?

 

How are these infections spread?

 

Infections start when you swallow STEC—in other words, when you get tiny (usually invisible) amounts of human or animal feces in your mouth. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we would like to think about. Exposures that result in illness include consumption of contaminated food, consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk, consumption of water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle, or contact with the feces of infected people. Some foods are considered to carry such a high risk of infection with E. coli O157 or another germ that health officials recommend that people avoid them completely. These foods include unpasteurized (raw) milk, unpasteurized apple cider, and soft cheeses made from raw milk. Sometimes the contact is pretty obvious (working with cows at a dairy or changing diapers, for example), but sometimes it is not (like eating an undercooked hamburger or a contaminated piece of lettuce). People have gotten infected by swallowing lake water while swimming, touching the environment in petting zoos and other animal exhibits, and by eating food prepared by people who did not wash their hands well after using the toilet. Almost everyone has some risk of infection.

The eyes through which you see others may be the same as how they see you.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,139
Registered: ‎04-16-2010

Regarding E.coli being everywhere:

 

One of my kids was swimming in a community pool and scraped the top of his foot along the bottom of the pool. The pool had just opened and we were the first family there. In fact, he was the first person in the water when the pool opened.

 

A few days later, the top of the cut had turned into a blister like thing. Then, ANOTHER blister (looking like a huge whitehead) appeared on top of the first blister. Off to the doctor we went because it looked REALLY funky. 

 

With gloves on, she surrounded the area with gauze and did this and that and then lanced the top blister, took a swab for the lab and then did the same thing with the second blister. The stuff that came out...wow. Treated it, bandaged it, checked when he had his last tetanus shut and placed him on antibiotics. Bottom line, they both came back containing  a high amount of E.coli.  Guess someone didn't check the levels in the pool.

 

It's everywhere, folks.

 

 

About the beef: Usually the stores and states are listed. Why not this time? Especially considering the holiday weekend.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,739
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

They also sometimes close lakes, when it is very hot ,and they test the water , and find unsafe levels of E-coli and other harmful substances in the water. I have heard this on the news more than once

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,739
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

About Beach Monitoring in Michigan

Many county health departments routinely collect water samples at beaches to determine if the water is safe for swimming. Samples are generally taken one foot below the surface in water that is between three and six feet in depth. A laboratory using standard methods performs the analysis. The method for analyzing water samples for Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be found in the document entitled, "Improved Enumeration Methods for the Recreational Water Quality Indicators: Enterococci and Escheri.... Results of the analysis are available after approximately 28 hours, so water-testing results are reported the following afternoon. E. coli bacteria are counted and judged against standards established by state rules.

County health departments need to take a minimum of three samples each time a beach area is monitored. The daily geometric mean calculated from these samples must be below 300 E. coli per 100 milliliters for the water to be considered safe for swimming. Sometimes one or two of the samples may be above 300, but if the daily geometric mean is below 300, the beach is not in violation of the water quality standard. The county health departments frequently sample more than once a month. A minimum of five sampling events (consisting of at least three samples per event) must be collected within a 30-day period for the results to be considered a reliable indication of water quality. After 30 days, a geometric mean is calculated for all the individual samples collected within that time frame. This 30-day geometric mean must be below 130 E. coli per 100 ml for the water to be considered safe for swimming.

A beach is closed if monitoring conducted by the county health department determined that levels of bacteria exceed the limits established by the Michigan Public Health Code and Rule 323.1062(1) of the Part 4. Water Quality Standards (Promulgated pursuant to Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1997 PA 451, as amended). A beach is closed if either the single-day or 30-day average bacteria count exceeds the established limit. If a beach is closed due to bacterial contamination, county healthy departments will continue to monitor the water quality at the beach and will permit the beach to re-open when bacteria levels fall back within acceptable levels. It is possible that a beach could be closed for swimming but other recreational activities at the beach may still be available.

Private Beach Monitoring

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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,707
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@SahmIam  said:  About the beef: Usually the stores and states are listed. Why not this time? Especially considering the holiday weekend.

 

I can't answer definitively but based on the weights shown in the recall list the meat likely went to institutions (businesses) to be  either served in the case of restaurants or repackaged for sale to customers through meat markets and stores.  Perhaps some of the meat was also sent to distributors and it is not yet known where the meat finally ended up.  Since it is a national recall I would suspect many states are involved.

The eyes through which you see others may be the same as how they see you.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,482
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@sidsmom You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that people working on farms, picking product, handling product and doing farm work in the fields don't have proper bathroom facilities for hand washing.  

 

You don't have to have a government report to know that animals infect product in the field, or that people go to the bathroom alongside produce and that muddy work boots pick up things.

 

So that being said, I see no point in further posting on this thread because we've established what we ALL need to establish haven't we?  Enough said. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

@Marp wrote:

@sidsmom wrote:

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

@sidsmom wrote:

@GAQShopr53 wrote:

am thinking we are focusing so much on the animals that we forget about the humans who handle the meat while its being processed.


@GAQShopr53 

Huh?

You do realize animals are the main carriers for E. coli O157:H7?

You do realize animals show no signs when affected?

And you do realize humans wouldn’t get E. coli O157:H7

if it wasn’t for the affected animals?

 

In summary....we need LESS meat in the world (but that’s another 

topic for another thread)....but if someone is bound & determined

to eat meat, we need MORE focus on the health of animals.

 

So to imply all these human processors are somehow/someway 

contaminating the meat is....crazy talk.  


 

You should ask for clarification of responses if you don't understand the response @sidsmom . I Do Realize that animals are the main carriers of E.coli and I stand by my point that infected humans can and do transmit E.coli. I don't talk foolish talk and don't appreciate you implying so. The systems spends a great deal of time ensuring the animals are safe and I don't believe they consider that some of the contamination may be caused by infected humans during the processing of the meat. 


OK.

Find me 1 instance, 1 case, where 1 person was the original source

for a national outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 causing a national recall

like the one in the original post.  


Secondary outbreaks (person to person), which are not uncommon, should not be ignored or downplayed just because they do not cause a "national outbreak".  Secondary infections can be as devastating and dangerous as primary infections and victims are usually children.  There have been secondary outbreaks in daycares, preschools and schools.  Most secondary outbreaks are localized.  Additionally, primary outbreaks can also be localized so do not trigger a national recall.

 

According to the CDC (emphasis added); STEC is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli :


Where do STEC come from?

 

How are these infections spread?

 

Infections start when you swallow STEC—in other words, when you get tiny (usually invisible) amounts of human or animal feces in your mouth. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we would like to think about. Exposures that result in illness include consumption of contaminated food, consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk, consumption of water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle, or contact with the feces of infected people. Some foods are considered to carry such a high risk of infection with E. coli O157 or another germ that health officials recommend that people avoid them completely. These foods include unpasteurized (raw) milk, unpasteurized apple cider, and soft cheeses made from raw milk. Sometimes the contact is pretty obvious (working with cows at a dairy or changing diapers, for example), but sometimes it is not (like eating an undercooked hamburger or a contaminated piece of lettuce). People have gotten infected by swallowing lake water while swimming, touching the environment in petting zoos and other animal exhibits, and by eating food prepared by people who did not wash their hands well after using the toilet. Almost everyone has some risk of infection.


But we’re not talking ‘secondary’.

In your original post, it was implied the workers who are processing

the meat are somehow responsible for this national outbreak.

They are not.  

 

And for the secondary cases?

How did they contract e.Coli?

Animals. 

Once it leaves the animal, the carriers are secondary.

Fix it at the source...eliminate animal products from our food source

and it’s not an issue.