Beef recalls in the US happen when beef fails to meet FDA or USDA standards, or when there is a risk of disease. Reasons include E. coli or salmonella contamination, and BSE. Non-compliance with standards or meat contamination can cause recalls, with E. coli being the biggest threat. Regulations are in place to protect consumer health.
A beef recall occurs in the United States when there is a possibility that the beef has met non-compliance standards set by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Whenever there is even the remotest possibility that beef could cause a disease of any kind in humans, a beef recall is issued. Reasons for a beef recall may include suspected contamination with Escherichia coli O145 bacteria, more commonly known as E. coli. Salmonella is another cause of beef recalls, as is bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE, more commonly known as mad cow disease.
A simple reason a beef recall occurs is non-compliance with stated standards. When a breeder, processor or distributor does not meet the rigorous standards set by the USDA and FDA, beef raised from one of these sources will be recalled. Beef is controlled and regulated at all stages along the way, from the moment a calf is born until its meat reaches the consumer’s hands. Any sign of non-compliance requires a beef recall.
Meat contamination can occur in several ways. A cow can have a chronic disease, which in turn infects the resulting meat. Weak or infirm cattle should be kept out of the food supply of other cattle, as this can also provide a way for infection to spread, thus contaminating the beef production generated by a particular herd.
While mad cow disease has generated a great deal of media hype, the biggest threat to beef is E. coli bacteria. E. coli bacteria can cause very mild symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset and discomfort. It can also cause very serious symptoms that can cause stomach cramps and dysentery, which may contain blood. While the average healthy adult can recover from this bacterial infection, there are those who contract the disease who experience serious complications, such as kidney damage. Complications like this are more common in the elderly and young children.
While the regulations may seem stringent, the reasoning behind rigorously monitoring the processing of all meat products is entirely for the good health of the consumer. A beef recall is not something to be taken lightly or something to be ignored. A beef recall indicates a very certain threat to consumer health.
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