Steak E. coli Outbreak Investigated by Food Safety Attorneys
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is investigating a possible nationwide E. coli O157:H7 outbreak involving meat injected with tenderizing ingredients and served at large United States restaurant chains.
Lower-quality cuts of meat are often injected with ingredients, such as brine, to enhance a steak’s flavor and tenderness. However, if the brine is contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, it can then contaminate a steak into which it is injected.
These injections and mechanical tenderizing techniques may enhance flavor but can be dangerous to consumers when brine is contaminated and when meat isn’t cooked well.
About 94 percent of surveyed meat processors use similar methods to “mechanically tenderize” meat, according to a 2003 study cited by a Colorado State University report.
Prior to 1999, it was thought that only ground beef should be tested for E. coli, until the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service expanded testing to “non-intact” beef such as cuts of steak. Since then, five out of six foodborne E. coli outbreaks associated with non-intact beef have involved moisture-enhanced steaks, according to the Colorado State University report.
Pritzker Olsen attorneys have been contacted by E. coli O157:H7 survivors about this outbreak. If you believe you or a loved one have suffered damages from this potential E. coli O157:H7 outbreak or know anything about it, please contact us immediately.
