Beef testing reveals fecal matter, salmonella, superbugs in meat

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An article published by Consumer Report reveals that beef bought from US local stores have tested positive for fecal matter, salmonella, and super bugs.

The findings by watchdog group Consumer Reports found that more than 15 percent of conventionally farmed ground beef were found to have strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while organic beef derived from sustainable methods had nine percent. The studies were based on lab testing of hundreds of samples worth 458 pounds of beef that were bought in 26 cities, including San Francisco.

SF Gate reports that ground beef is often a source of food-borne illnesses compared to chicken or pork. This is because the beef is ground and it becomes difficult to eliminate the bacteria even during cooking. The reason why beef is a source is because many people prefer to eat their beef a little bit raw or "rare."

"We know that sustainable methods are better for the environment and more humane to animals. But our tests also show that these methods can produce ground beef that poses fewer public health risks," said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, executive director of Center for Food Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports, via The New York Daily News

The beef collected by the organization were tested for five types of food-borne illness bacteria including salmonella, E.coli strains and staphylococcus aureus. The beef was also found to have contained C. perfringens, bacteria that causes food poisonings. The group tested the beef found in bacteria to find out if it is resistant to standard antibiotics.

Rangan said in the published article that consumers are unable to know if the meat they're going to buy has harmful bacteria or not. He said that consumers have to be alert when buying packaged meat.

The report made by Consumer Reports raised a few eyebrows from the beef industry.

"With regard to food safety, we really don't see any differences in those two systems," Professor Mindy Brashears from Texas Tech told Tom Costello on TODAY, referring to organic or conventional farming of beef. "The beef industry in the US is safe. Whether it is a conventionally raised product, an organic or natural product - the consumer can have confidence that they have taken action to make the product safer over the past 10 years."

The US Department of Agriculture also told the news site that the E.coli strain found by the watchdog group was the kind of bacteria that causes kidney damage, and not food poisoning. They added that they have employed measures for ground beef safety when it comes to selling them to the public. They explained that illnesses brought about by the six dangerous strains of E.C coli dropped by 10 percent in a year, from 2013 to 2014.