Researchers at Midan Marketing surveyed customers about what meat they're buying to cook at home, and discovered an increase in sales of premium meats in the past year. Consumers can't afford to go out to restaurant, but still want delicious, delicious steaks.

The accompanying sales data showed sales remain strong for lower-priced meats such as ground beef, hot dogs, and chicken drumsticks. But, there was a noticeable increase in sales of higher-priced premium meats.

The sales volume of the more expensive "premium" steaks was up 15.5 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, versus a 13.2 percent rise in "regular" steaks, they said.

Much of that increase is being attributed to supermarkets having greater access to higher quality meats. Also stores have been running promotions to win customers during bad times so they will come back when the economy improves, said Uetz.

I think this is where everyone chimes in with their favorite steak-cooking tips.

Stay-at-home consumers bite into pricey steaks [Reuters]

RELATED:
All About Steak
9 Affordable Steaks And How To Grill Them

(Photo: RBerteig)

For one thing, food companies save money on ground beef by buying scraps of meat from multiple suppliers, instead of using cuts of whole meat. Two years ago, food giant Cargill was responsible for an outbreak of E. coli here in the states that left a woman paralyzed in the fall of 2007. The product responsible, "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef Patties," was made from a mixture of meat sources:

Grinding logs and other Cargill records show that the hamburgers were made from a mix of slaughterhouse trimmings and a mash-like product derived from scraps that were ground together at a plant in Wisconsin. The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

What's more troubling is that although the USDA recommends that grinders test each source of meat first for contamination, most don't because it would eat into profits. That's why Cargill never knew where the bad meat came from, even though it detected E. coli in a finished batch of burgers several months before the 2007 outbreak.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which allows grinders to devise their own safety plans, has encouraged them to test ingredients first as a way of increasing the chance of finding contamination.

Unwritten agreements between some companies appear to stand in the way of ingredient testing. Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies. Slaughterhouses fear that one grinder's discovery of E. coli will set off a recall of ingredients they sold to others.

So does any company put safety over profits? Is there any way to find safe ground beef without having to buy steak yourself and pay a butcher to grind it? Try Costco. For the last 10 years, they've been voluntarily testing all of their meat before grinding.

Craig Wilson, Costco's food safety director, said the company decided it could not rely on its suppliers alone. "It's incumbent upon us," he said. "If you say, ‘Craig, this is what we've done,' I should be able to go, ‘Cool, I believe you.' But I'm going to check."

Costco said it had found E. coli in foreign and domestic beef trimmings and pressured suppliers to fix the problem. But even Costco, with its huge buying power, said it had met resistance from some big slaughterhouses. "Tyson will not supply us," Mr. Wilson said. "They don't want us to test."

That's why Costco sounds like one of the safest bets you can make if you buy ground beef. By comparison, a 2007 survey of grinders showed that only 6% of them followed Costco's safety protocol of testing source meat before grinding, while half of them didn't even bother to test the finished product.

"E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection" [New York Times]
(Photo: VirtualErn)

We trust that the always mature readers of Consumerist will find nothing amusing about this situation whatsoever.

Shoplifter hides three pounds of bacon in his pants [Northwest Florida Daily News]

(Photo: Mykl Roventine)

From MyFoxBoston:

Police said they encountered Brown shortly after and the dog, smelling the meat, immediately approached Brown.

Police say they found nearly $68 worth of meat stuffed in Brown's pants.

Brown has been charged with receiving stolen property worth less than $250 and disorderly conduct.

The man has pleaded not guilty.

Cops: Stolen meat in
man's pants [MyFoxBoston] (Thanks, SteveDave!)
(Photo:yarnzombie)

The unit, complete with a USDA inspector and organic certification, will go farm to farm, so animals won't have to be shipped. It will drive the carcasses to a cut-and-wrap facility in Thurston County.

Farmers then can sell to whomever they want, hopefully turning a profit.

The Seattle Times says it will take a year to get the operation running smoothly, and just because it's local doesn't mean it will be bought and sold by local markets if it doesn't meet their standards. But if the program succeeds, then you might be able to buy local meat at Seattle restaurant the next time you go out to eat:

But Caswell, who in the fall hopes to open his downtown Seattle restaurant, named emmer & rye, thinks consumers can't get enough of locally grown products.

"Restaurants are using that as a selling point," he said. " 'This is from such-and-such farm; we met the farmer.' It's a conversation piece. It's something we can talk about. We can have a story behind it."

"Slaughterhouse on wheels aids 'locavore' movement" [Seattle Times]
(Photo: 'J')

In case you missed the previous months:

• May: Valley Meats - 96,000 pounds (E. coli)
• June: JBS Swift - 421,280 pounds (E. coli)
• July: King Soopers - 466,236 pounds (Salmonella)
• August: Beef Packers - 826,000 pounds (Salmonella)

This month's recall is particularly disturbing because the illnesses are associated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella known as Salmonella Newport, making treatment more difficult.

Remember, meat inspection and recalls are the responsibility of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture, not the FDA, so the food safety legislation that recently passed the House would do nothing to improve the USDA, which has more funding and fewer products to police, and is generally viewed as the better functioning of the two agencies. Hooray.
[Consumer Reports Safety]
(Photo: spencer hughes)

"How to Understand Food Expiration Dates at the Grocery Store" [YouTube via Minyanville]

RELATED
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Expiration Dates*" [Minyanville]

The WaPo says:

One thing they all have in common is their tough texture. They come from well-exercised muscles of the animal, which tend to be the most flavorful. There are other cheap cuts to consider, but they suffer from a lack of beefy flavor or from lots of gristle and bones. Attentive prep work, intense marinades and closely watched grill time can do wonders for the bargain cuts we're focusing on here.

The cuts are:

• Hanger
• Flank
• Flap
• Chuck Eye
• Flatiron
• Skirt
• Tri-Tip
• Top Serloin
• Chuck Shoulder

Once you have your affordable steak, check out this Consumer Reports video on how to grill them.

Affordable Steaks (PDF) [WaPo via Lifehacker]
Affordable Steaks That Make the Cut [WaPo]

"Vilsack calls for stricter food labels" [Associated Press]
(Photo: foxypar4)

We're concerned by the quotes around "4 LB BAG" on the top right. It could just be misuse of quotation marks for emphasis, but it reminds us of last week's story about TV manufacturers adding "class" after the inch listing so they can list a 31.5-inch screen as a 32-inch screen. Are these chicken wings actually 3 pounds, 8 ounces, and they're rounding up?

Thanks, Stephen!

I’ve been in supermarkets where a couple of skinless, boneless chicken breasts cost MORE than a whole chicken. Wouldn’t it make sense to buy the whole bird, trim out the breasts (30 seconds, once you’ve done it a couple of times) and throw the rest away if it will cost less than buying two cutlets?...Does your family like nice boneless centercut porkchops? Buy a whole boneless pork loin and cut into 1″ slices. You can even wrap them in plastic film and freeze them for use later. By being your own butcher, you’ll enjoy great quality meat at probably two-thirds the price of anything you would buy pre-cut.

Makes sense to us, especially after seeing this investigation on how chicken is packed with extra water so they can charge you more. Just get a good set of knives and get slicing and dicing. You can also save by cutting and marinating your own meats, and making your own bacon.

Sharpen Knife, Slash Your Food Costs [Cheap Stingy Bargains] (Thanks to Marilyn!)

(Photo: seventime)

As we wrote a year ago, when the district court decision was handed down, the current USDA testing scheme for mad cow tests only the cattle that the USDA has dubbed "high risk," which ends up being less than one percent of America's beef. Creekstone Farms claimed that it has lost business in Japan and South Korea due to the mad cow scare in the U.S. a few years ago, and that it would like to reassure its domestic and international customers by testing all of its cattle. To that end, the company built its own testing center and was prepared to begin testing its beef, but the USDA, which regulates the sale of mad cow testing kits, blocked the sale. The lower court case turned on an interpretation of the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act, which regulates, among other things, products "intended for use in the treatment of domestic animals." The district court pointed out that there is no treatment or cure for mad cow disease, and the tests are only performed on dead animals, thus the tests should not be regulated by the USDA under this act.

For its part, the meatpacking lobby ("Big Meat") opposes Creekstone Farms, citing fears that if Creekstone tests all its beef, consumers will force other meatpackers to do so, leading to more expensive beef.

U.S. Wants to Stop Increased Testing for Mad Cow [CNN]
Creekstone Farms v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Virus-Serum-Toxin Act
(Photo: Yogi)

Apparently, Steve "The Cows Needed A Pick-Me-Up" Mendell was shocked, horrified and sickened by the undercover video that showed cows that were too sick to walk being lifted and prodded with forklifts.

"I was shocked. I was horrified. I was sickened," Steve said.

Testifying before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Mendell, who appeared only after being subpoenaed, assured lawmakers that despite his lack of knowledge about conditions at the plant, sick animals were not slaughtered for food, so no safety issue existed.

But Mr. Mendell retracted the statement when shown a second video in which a "downer" cow was shocked and abused by workers trying to move it to the "kill box," then finally shot with a bolt gun and dragged by a chain to the processing area.

When Mr. Mendell told the committee he was unaware of the abuses, Mr. Stupak asked him, "What's your curiosity, as president and C.E.O. of the company you're responsible for?"

Mr. Mendell replied that after he had seen the first video, he concluded that "it was a regulatory violation, for sure, it was inhumane treatment, for sure," but that he did not believe it was a food safety issue until he saw the second video on Wednesday.

Mr. Stupak asked if one could conclude from the video that the cow dragged into the killing area had gone into the food supply.

"That would be logical, sir," Mr. Mendell replied.

Meat Packer Admits Slaughter of Sick Cows [NYT]

RELATED
"USDA Stops Production At Meatpacking Facility After Undercover Video Showed Sick Cows Being Abused"
"USDA Recalls 143 Million Pounds Of Beef"

"There's going to be real food inflation in this country," C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive of U.S. beef processor Smithfield Foods Inc., said at the U.S. Agriculture Department's annual outlook conference.

Prices of grain futures have surged lately. For example, wheat futures have more than doubled on the Chicago Board of Trade over the last 12 months. Pope said meat shoppers eventually will pay for the rally because farmers who raise livestock cannot absorb the sharp escalation in feed costs.

Pope said the rip-roaring rallies in corn, soybeans and wheat would be good for farmers, but are "scary" for companies like Smithfield and the rest of the livestock industry.

"I think we need to tell the American consumer that things are going up," he said in a speech. "We're seeing cost increases that we've never seen in our business."

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

''Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall,'' Schafer said in a statement.

A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.

Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover Humane Society video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing ''downer'' animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

USDA Makes Nation's Largest Beef Recall [AP]
PREVIOUSLY: USDA Stops Production At Meatpacking Facility After Undercover Video Showed Sick Cows Being Abused
(Photo: flikr)

The video shows cows that are too sick to walk being lifted and prodded with forklifts in order to get them to move into the slaughter box. Although the USDA says it doesn't have proof that the sick cows entered the food supply, just the simple fact that workers were hitting sick cows with forklifts while 8 USDA inspectors looked the other way was enough to prompt the agency to shut down the company.

From the LA Times:

Cliver, professor emeritus of food safety at UC Davis, said the suspension of the plant is "long past due."

"It's a shame when USDA has to read about this stuff in the newspaper before they take action," he said. Cliver said he was especially shocked by the news, because as someone who has worked on food safety for 45 years, he believed in the federal inspection process. "That the most intensive inspection system we have was asleep on this situation bothers me enormously," he said.

One retired food inspector, who once worked at Hallmark, said the USDA supervisor in charge of the plant had to have been aware of the practices shown in the Humane Society's video.

"The supervisor should have known what was going on," said Paul Carney, western council president for the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, the USDA inspectors' union.

Bill Bullard, chief executive of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, an advocacy organization that represents cattle-raising farmers and ranchers, was also critical of the USDA's lax enforcement.

"We would hope that this example will impress upon the USDA the need to bolster its inspection processes to enforce the current law that prohibits downer animals in the human food supply," Bullard said.

USDA's oversight of meat safety criticized [LA Times]

If you're a budget foodie, give up on the dream of tasting Kobe or Kobe-style beef anytime soon:

If you're looking to cook at home and you can find Wagyu at $30 per pound, you are better off buying USDA Prime. This is one instance when you should go big or go home. In Japan, full-bred Kobe costs upwards of $300 per pound, but Lobels in Manhattan and other premier retailers sell the top quality American versions for around $100 per pound.

Anyway, not only does this extra water screw up a lot of recipes (the meat won't brown right, and roasted chickens end up soggy), it means 15% of the price of grocery store pork and chicken I am actually paying for water! (Mmmm, sizzling, juicy water.) Working this into the equation, the price per pound of actual meat for unadulterated pork and chicken at the natural foods co-op is not as high as it might seem.

Jenni

We did post a news story from NBC Augusta in which they squeezed a bunch of chicken and then figured out how much your average consumer was paying for "chicken water" each year. Guess how much it was? Did you guess? Ok, fine we'll tell you.

$60 a year. In chicken water. Yuck.

PREVIOUSLY: Are You Paying $60 A Year For Water Pumped Into Chicken?
(Photo:eggrollstan)

Sadly, the real intent of the study was to measure how much of an impact "the media's relentless coverage of recalls" have had on customer trust, and not on topics like, oh say, whether mixing batches of meat is a sound business decision.

Although the majority of consumers remain confident in the overall safety of the U.S. meat supply, 34 percent said they are less confident than they were five years ago.

Only 35 percent of consumers surveyed agree that the U.S. government is doing everything it can to ensure meat product safety.

36 percent of consumers said they worry about serving fresh ground beef or hamburgers to their families due to concerns about E. coli contamination. The majority, however, indicated that such concern has yet to impact purchase habits or even intent.

Most people cook and consume their E. coli burgers in the time it takes for someone to go to the doctor and discover the source of their illness. For recalls following reports of consumer illness, only 20% of affected meat is ever recovered.

The USDA, which regulates meat and poultry, routinely samples thousands of products for harmful bacteria before they leave factories. Test results take a few days to produce.

During that time, companies can legally ship a product. If tests are positive, the product is recalled. Because the meat has been in the market a few days, recovery rates tend to be good: 62% per recall, on average.

There have been 54 meat recalls this year, up from 34 last year. For the most recent recalls, recovery rates are not yet available.

To get more consumers to check homes for recalled meats, the USDA next year plans to publicize names of retailers selling meat that was later recalled. "We think it would be helpful for people to know, 'Gee, that is my store,' " says Petersen.

Most recalled meat is never recovered, likely is eaten [USA Today]
(Photo: amyadoyzie)

The products subject to recall were distributed for further processing and repackaging and will not bear the recalling firm's establishment number on the package. As the use-by date for products subject to this recall may have expired, consumers can contact their retailers to ask if they received any of these products and if so, consumers are urged to look in their freezers for these products and return or discard them if found.

The ground beef products subject to recall were produced on Oct. 10, 2007, and were distributed to retail establishments and distributors in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.

Wisconsin Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products due to Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination [USDA]
(Photo:rick)

Relaxed standards increase chances of clean meat becoming infected. This "E. coli loophole" could be one reason for the surge in E. coli-related recalls lately. The USDA and food processors say there's no danger, as long as people fully cook their meat.

Ew. We're not sure we can order medium-rare again.

E. coli loophole cited in recalls [Chicago Tribune]

The consumer groups who originally called for a ban on the practice are not pleased:

"We're outraged the FDA put the economic interest of the industry before the health and safety of consumers," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Food and Water Watch. "At worst (it's) dangerous, at best it's a consumer rip-off."

Bottom line: unless you know for sure your store doesn't use carbon monoxide on its meat, don't equate color with freshness, because the practice isn't going away any time soon.

"Food industry defends carbon monoxide use in meat" [Reuters]
(Photo: Getty)

• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 3.0-pound packages of ''Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1- pound packages of ''Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef Patty.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 85/15 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 93/7 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Century Farm 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/31/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Century Farm 85/15 Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date 10/19/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 93/7 Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 80/20 Chuck Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm 80/20 Chuck Ground Beef for Chili.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Century Farm Meatloaf Mix, Beef, Pork and Veal with Natural Flavors.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 1.25- pound packages of ''Giant 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 3.0- pound packages of ''Giant 75/25 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.25-pound packages of ''Giant 80/20 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 3.0-pound packages of ''Giant 80/20 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Giant Eagle Ground Chuck Beef Patties 80/20.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or10/22/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Giant Eagle Ground Beef Patties 92/8.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/22/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Giant Eagle Ground Beef Patties 85/15 - Certified Angus Beef Brand.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/22/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Giant Eagle Ground Round Beef Patties 85/15.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/22/2007.
• 3.0-pound packages of ''Shop Rite, 80% Lean 20% Fat, Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 3.0-pound packages of ''Shop Rite, 85% Lean 15% Fat, Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Shop Rite, 93% Lean 7% Fat, Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Shop Rite, 93% Lean 7% Fat, Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Shop Rite, 96% Lean 4% Fat, Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.25- pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 5.0- pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.25-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 1.25-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 85/15 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.2-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 87/13 Ground Beef Sirloin, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1- pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.0-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 2.6-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 2.5-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007.
• 2.5-pound packages of ''Stop & Shop 93/7 Ground Beef, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Wegmans 80/20 Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Wegmans 90/10 Ground Beef Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/22/2007.
• 3.0- pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats, 73/27 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1- pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats, 80/20 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 3- pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats, 80/20 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007 or 11/03/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 85/15 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 2.0 and 3.0 -pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 85/15 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 2-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 93/7 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 93/7 Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 96/4 Ground Beef Extra Lean.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 90/10 Ground Beef Sirloin Patties.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats Meatloaf Mix, Beef, Pork and Veal with Natural Flavors.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Weis Premium Meats 80/20 Ground Beef for Chili.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Meat Loaf Mix, Made with Beef, Pork, Veal, with Natural Flavors.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/22/2007.
• 1.25-pound packages of ''Meatloaf Mix, A Blend of Fresh Ground Beef, Pork & Veal, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• Various weight packages of ''85/15 Coarse Ground Beef for Chili Meat, All Natural.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/2007.
• 1.3-pound packages of ''Ground Beef Chuck for Chili 80/20.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/19/2007 or 10/22/2007.
• 1.3 pound packages of ''Price Rite 85% Lean, 15% Fat Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3 pound packages of ''Price Rite 80% Lean, 20% Fat Ground Beef.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 11/03/2007.
• 1.3 pound packages of ''Price Rite Meat loaf mix.'' Each package bears a Use by/freeze by date of 10/31/207 or 11/03/2007.

1 mil. pounds of beef possibly tainted by e-coli recalled [AP]
(Photo: hans s)

Several people have become ill from eating these pizzas, so please, please throw them away. The code "EST. 7750" will be located inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a "best if used by" date on or before "02 APR 08 WS."

The USDA says: "The company applies the "best if used by date" on the package based on a 155-day shelf life, however consumers are urged to look in their freezers for similar frozen pizza products and discard them if found. "

So far there have been illnesses reported in Illinois (1), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1). Don't mess with these pizzas. Throw them away. For a complete list of the recalled pizzas, click here.

Ohio Firm Recalls Frozen Meat Pizzas Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination [USDA]

A logical person might conclude that its not really a good idea to package the meat in such a way that your customer might become ill from eating it. Not so, it seems.

At a hearing Tuesday meatpackers said that consumers should rely on the "use by" date and not the color of meat to determine its freshness. They also suggested sniffing the meat to see if it is bad, and claimed that "consumers routinely rely on sell-by dates" and not color to determine freshness. (Although if they didn't use color to determine freshness, one would assume that there would be no reason to spend extra money artificially dying meat to appear "fresher," but we're not supposed to think about that.)

One company, Cargill, said that it had decided to place warning labels on its carbon dioxide "dyed" meat:

Cargill Meat executive Scott Eilert said the processor, part of agribusiness giant Cargill Inc, based in Minneapolis, decided to add to its packages the words, "Color is not an indicator of freshness. Please refer to use or freeze by dates."

"We believe this effectively addresses the concerns of the (House Energy and Commerce) Committee in protecting public health while not undermining the adoption of the safety and convenience offered through case-ready packaging," said Eilert in written testimony.

Good plan.

Meatpackers tell shoppers "use by" date is key [Reuters]
(Photo:Maulleigh)

Canada seems have reached a similar conclusion, although, being Canadian, they announced it in a more polite and understated way. (Those stupid Canadians!)

Some 45 cases of illness caused by E. coli were reported in five Canadian provinces from July to September, including one death, said the CFIA in a statement. It said genetic testing found "the same unique E. coli pattern" in beef from an unnamed meat facility in Alberta that is "currently not operating."

The original measure, snuck into the farm bill this past summer for largely pork barrel reasons, reduced federal regulation of small meat companies without specifically laying out a protocol that would guarantee federal inspection levels. And yeah, we know that federal inspection levels aren't exactly anything to be proud of, but they're better than nothing. Thankfully, other more responsible politicians have stepped up to develop a plan that would guarantee meat from small companies will still be inspected at the same level, whether by a state or federal agency, if they want to ship across state lines.

We're glad to see that this modified plan is being suggested that grants more independence to states while also providing a baseline of regulatory guidelines—it would be nice if the Consumerist didn't have to spend all of 2008 reporting state-by-state E. coli outbreaks.

"CFA, Consumer Groups Join Labor, Farm Groups and State Departments of Agriculture to Assure All Meat and Poultry Shipped Across State Lines Will Remain Subject to Federal Meat and Poultry Inspection Laws, Regulations and Policies" [Consumer Federation of America] (pdf file)

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"Bill would reduce meat inspections" [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: Getty)

This summer, Topps meats struggled to keep pace with orders from Walmart and other retailers and, in so doing, neglected food safety procedures. Now they're out of business, but the larger problem isn't. There were 16 beef-related e. coli recalls this year, says the NYT.

That is a sharp increase from 2005 and 2006, and the resurgence of the pathogen raises questions about whether the Agriculture Department has given the meat industry too much leeway to police itself.

"We're beginning to feel that the 2002 guidelines have not been enacted to the maximum," Dr. Richard A. Raymond, the Agriculture Department's under secretary for food safety, said in an interview in Washington

Federal investigators found that three different lots of hamburger meat were tainted with E. coli. Moreover, they said, the company's record keeping was so poor they could not rule out contamination of other lots.

Batches that had been tested by suppliers were mixed with those that were not, officials said. Untested boxes from the freezer were tossed in with the daily grind, as were untested scraps from the plant's steak line.

To be safe, the regulators finally urged the company to recall a full year's worth of production, or 21.7 million pounds. "They couldn't say, 'This started two months ago,'" said Kenneth E. Petersen, assistant administrator of field operations for the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "Because they couldn't prove it, we went back a whole year."

Many Red Flags Preceded a Recall of Hamburger [NYT]
(Photo:Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times)