Hamburgers, and Other Foods, Can Kill
A story on E. coli in hamburger meat is causing a huge stir this week. The New York Times piece featured a young woman who became paralyzed and brain damaged from eating a tainted burger, and it scared readers to death. From the story:
Ground beef has been blamed for 16 outbreaks in the last three years alone, including the one that left Ms. Smith paralyzed from the waist down. This summer, contamination led to the recall of beef from nearly 3,000 grocers in 41 states.
So, how does meat become tainted? From mass factory farming, where meat from many different animals is combined and feces gets mixed in with the meat. If you eat meat, try finding small farms that offer grass-fed meat (see link below).
Here are some great ways to ‘bone up’ on the subjects of food safety and how our foods are processed:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Food, Inc. (documentary film)
Eat Wild, an online source for grass-fed meat
The Nation’s Food issue
A huge blogroll of food links
Where to find local food in your area
A great list of resources on sustainable eating
October 7th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
There’s a list at WebMD from the CDC
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20091006/10-foods-most-likely-to-make-you-sick
It starts with “leafy greens” ; “363 outbreaks and about 13,600 illnesses, mostly caused by norovirus, E. coli, and salmonella bacteria.”
* Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
* Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
* Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
* Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
* Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
* Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
* Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
* Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
* Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.
I don’t see beef on this list. But I agree with you that beef has a great risk of E. Coli (as does chicken).
October 7th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Sorry, chicken is a common source for salmonella, not E. coli
October 7th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Ah, but I do so love a good hamburger … a GOOD hamburger, that is!
I had food poisoning once from a bad burger at a Denny’s out in California; thought I was gonna die for awhile there and what made it worse was I had to get on a plane to fly back to Connecticut the next day. Ugh! That was not my most favorite trip, I can tell you that!
October 7th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Thanks for the list, Douglas.
Linda, you can still have a burger. Just don’t get those factory ones. Get a natural one from a small producer. I know they are more pricey, but it’s safer that way.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I have pretty much eschewed beef. I still eat the occasional burger and a steak now and then but they are way more rare (no pun intended) than chicken, fish (love fish), and pork. I cannot give up meat, wouldn’t even try, but I do try to be careful.