Ground beef is more likely to be infected with food-borne illnesses than whole cuts of beef, research indicates.

While the food on our dinner plates tonight may all have the same destination – our stomachs – how it was packaged before hitting our plates may affect whether or not it arrives to that destination without incident.

As most of you know, I’m not a big meat eater, but I do on occasion eat whole beef products, mainly bison meat and the occasional cut of sirloin or flank steak.  I seldom eat ground beef.

And for good reason, as it turns out.

I say this because according to a recent study released by researchers from Michigan State University, ground beef is more likely to be infected with food-borne illnesses than whole cuts of beef.

They discovered this after intentionally infecting slabs of beef with the same strand of salmonella.  Before doing that, though, the Michigan State researchers took off their collegiate caps and played the role of “butcher,” cutting the beef in one of several ways:  whole muscle, coarsely ground, finely ground, or beef puree.

They then took each cut of beef and lathered them up with a smorgasbord of salmonella toxin, enclosing each piece in tightly sealed containers for 30 second intervals at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).

As aforementioned, the whole cuts of beef fared best in resisting salmonella poison, but interestingly, there was no statistically significant degree of difference in the ground cuts of beef resistance to salmonella poisoning.  They all fared poorly.

The researchers really aren’t sure why there’s such a difference between ground beef and whole cuts (in fact they say that the aim of the study was not to explain the difference, only to test to see if there was a difference).  They speculate that it might have something to do with ground beef’s predilection to absorb water more readily than whole cuts.

The study is published in the Journal of Food Science.

Salmonella is one of the more common food-borne diseases.  Approximately 400 people die a year from it (about one percent of the number infected every year), a majority of whom are infected in the summer months.  Symptoms of salmonella poisoning are mainly gastrointestinal, like stomach cramping, bloating, and diarrhea, typically lasting for no more than seven days.

Now, am I calling for a moratorium on ground beef consumption as a result of this study?  No.  That said, the results do jibe with what we typically see when beef products are recalled:  more often than not, it tends to be ground beef than whole cuts.

Just something to keep in mind when next you feel the urge to splurge for a slab of steak, instead of a much safer – and a whole lot healthier – bit of bison.

Sources:
foodproductiondaily.com
innovations-report.de
chicagoreporter.com

Equipment used to produce Dunkaccino mix for Dunkin' Donuts may have contained salmonella contamination.

As most of you know, I’m not a coffee drinker.  Nonetheless, I know that millions of Americans can’t live without their morning libation, which is why I recommend opting for organic coffee beans to brew at home, or to ask for them specifically at their favorite coffee house.

Once people enter their favorite coffee house, though, there are tempting offerings on the menu that people find hard to resist.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ flavor offering, the Dunkaccino, is a great example.   The Dunkaccino boasts a flavor profile that’s almost impossible not partake in:  smooth coffee balanced with a decadent hot chocolate – the perfect pairing, no?

It may be a tasty treat, but if you’re watching your weight, it’s nutrition facts should serve as the hand slap you need to keep your hand out of the proverbial cookie jar:  230 calories, 11 grams of fat, 35 grams of sugar and an additional nine grams of saturated fat – and that’s in a small!

With nutrition like that, it makes soda seem downright healthy!

But if the Dunkaccino’s nutritional profile isn’t enough to make you steer clear, how does a possible bout with salmonella sound?
To Dunkin’ Donuts credit, they’ve voluntarily stopped selling Dunkaccinos to customers after one of their suppliers that produce their Dunkaccino mix may have had their equipment contaminated with salmonella.

Dunkin’ Donuts says that none of their equipment was contaminated, but they still want to make sure no one’s health is adversely affected by salmonella.  Again, kudos to Dunkin’ Donuts.

As of this writing, there have been no reported illnesses linked to the salmonella scare, which is why Dunkin’ Donuts plans to continue Dunkaccino production “shortly.”  But just as every fire and every murder isn’t reported, the same applies to food poisoning.  Who knows how many salmonella poisonings there have actually been.

People are obviously free to choose what they’ll drink and whether or not they trust the media or a restaurant when they say that a salmonella scare has past.  But some people need more than nutrition facts to steer them away from tempting treats like Dunkaccinos, which can become addictive.

The best way to stop any addictive behavior is to replace it with another behavior.  And with this salmonella scare in place, now is a great time in which to make that replacement.

So, instead of driving out of your way for that Dunkaccino, pick up a bag of organic coffee beans instead.  Before you know it, you’ll find it to be every bit as good as a regular cup of coffee and can rest assured in knowing that it’s free of salmonella and is the best nutrition among stores’ coffee coffers.

Sources:
baltimoresun.com
dunkindonuts.com