In the current Fairbank Farms E. coli outbreak, at least 25 persons in 10 states have been infected with the same strains of E. coli O157:H7, including two who have died and three who have developed E. coli HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome.
On Halloween, Fairbank Farms recalled some 270 tons of ground beef that could be contaminated with the outbreak strain of this pathogen. State and federal health officials are cautioning consumers to check their freezers for the recalled ground beef, which was produced September 14, 15 and 16 and is marked with “EST 492″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. For a complete list of retailers who sold the hamburger meat, click here.
E. coli O157:H7 was banned from fresh ground beef in the United States in 1994 and an inspection monitoring program was started. Consumers are not to blame when contaminated meat ends up in their kitchen and sickens a family member. But whether preparing a home-cooked meal of hamburgers or ordering a hamburger from a restaurant, you should always ensure for your own safety that patties have been cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. The simple rule is this: Color is not an indicator of doneness. An instant-read food thermometer will do the job.
Prior to June 1997, consumers who did not use a food thermometer were advised by USDA to cook ground beef patties
until the center and the cooked-out juices were no longer pink. Consumers were also advised to look for a firm “cooked” texture rather than a softer “raw or rare” texture in the meat.
However, research at Kansas State University in 1995 raised questions regarding the visual checks. Consequently, in June 1997, USDA issued a press release advising consumers to use a food thermometer when cooking ground beef patties, and not to rely on the internal color of the meat. Cooking to an internal temperature of 160 °F throughout kills E. coli O157:H7.
We now know that ferric pigment in ground beef can make the meat look brown even when raw. This depends on the exposure to oxygen and other factors in storage.
When ground beef is cooked, it changes color from red to pink to brown. If the meat is already brown, it will not change color during cooking. According to the USDA, recent research has shown some ground beef patties to look well-done at internal temperatures as low as 131 °F. The USDA’s own research has shown that more than 25 percent of fresh ground beef patties turned brown prematurely.
Conversely, some extra lean ground beef can still be pink on the inside when cooked to 160 degrees.
When eating out, ask your server if ground beef patties have been cooked to at least 155 °F for 15 seconds, as
recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code. If not, send it back.
Reminders like this are important for the prevention of illness due to E. coli O157:H7, especially during an outbreak involving a half million pounds of ground beef. Our law firm has seen the devastation time and again brought by adulterated, undercooked hamburger.
E. coli HUS, in particular, is an extremely serious condition. It can cause kidney failure, brain damage, strokes, and seizures. The most likely victims are children under 5 and adults over 60.
