Steak Safety: The Straight Story
E. coli in steak: What you need to know
Is it always safe to eat a steak served rare? Seems like a simple question.
But a Dec. 24 National Steak and Poultry recall of almost 250,000 pounds of blade-tenderized beef forced consumers and health officials to reevaluate the question—especially after government agencies associated the recalled beef with 21 cases of E. coli in 16 states.
Typically, ground beef comes to mind when considering meat that could be tainted with E. coli. But this outbreak involved blade-tenderized, or what health officials call “non-intact” beef, which included steaks, beef medallions and sirloin tips. “Blade-tenderized” or “non-intact” refers to meat that has been punctured with needles or blades to break down the tissue and make a tougher cut of muscle more tender. Any pathogen (like E. coli) on the surface of the beef is normally killed in the cooking process if the beef is intact. But the mechanical tenderization process drives pathogens inside the beef. If it isn’t cooked until the internal temperature reaches at least 140 degrees, the beef could still contain the pathogen.
Government officials and industry groups offer mixed advice on what consumers should do. The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods determined in 2002 that non-intact beef can indeed harbor infective amounts of E. coli, but that following the 140-degree rule will put you in the clear. A 2002 risk assessment by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) concluded there is almost no difference in risk of illness from intact versus non-intact steaks.
And yet there have been several E. coli outbreaks since then involving mechanically tenderized meat. This has put the spotlight on the issue of labeling. If non-intact steak must be cooked a certain way to guarantee its safety, then shouldn’t consumers have the right to know whether their steak is intact so they can cook it accordingly? That was the recommendation issued in a 2005 study by the Minnesota Department of Health following a 2003 outbreak of E. coli associated with blade-tenderized frozen steaks sold by door-to-door salesmen. In light of the National Steak and Poultry outbreak, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro called for labeling of non-intact steaks, stating “USDA has been aware of the E. coli risks associated with mechanically tenderized steaks as early as 1999, but has refused to act…consumers should be made fully aware of the products they are receiving so they can assure that they are cooked at the appropriate temperature.”
Furthermore, does this mean every time we eat at a restaurant, we should order our steak cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees? The National Restaurant Association in 2000 decided that restaurant patrons asking for rare- or medium-cooked steak should be informed that non-intact steaks should be cooked to at least 145 degrees to ensure safety. But when is the last time your server told you that?
USDA Considers Labeling to Curb Steak E coli Outbreaks
Jerry Mande, the USDA’s deputy undersecretary for food safety, told the Washington Post that the agency is considering labeling and education efforts to better inform the public about the E. coli O157:H7 risk associated with mechanically tenderized steaks and other beef cuts.
The undersecretary’s comments coincide with an ongoing state and federal investigation of an E. coli steak outbreak associated with blade-tenderized steaks that the USDA says has sickened at least 21 people in 16 states. There are confirmed E. coli steak illnesses in Michigan, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and Washington.
The outbreak prompted a National Steak and Poultry E. coli recall of 248,000 pounds of steak, sirloin tips, beef medallions, boneless trim and other products that the USDA says were sold to restaurants and hotels across the country. The company has said the products recalled for possible E. coli contamination were primarily sold to Moe’s Southwest Grill, Carino’s Italian Grill and KRM restaurants in the six states where there are confirmed outbreak cases of E. coli.
The Post story quoted the USDA as saying the contamination “appears to have begun with tainted beef used for chopped steak that was “co-mingled” with other products” in National Steak and Poultry’s plant in Owasso, Oklahoma. Nine of the 21 people sickened in the outbreak have been hospitalized, the newspaper reported.
The restaurant steak E. coli outbreak and recall has triggered renewed calls by food safety organizations for USDA to mandate that the industry label beef cuts that are mechanically tenderized in any way — including with blades, needles or injections of brine and other flavorings. Fred Pritzker, founder of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, has been one of those voices — saying USDA didn’t go far enough in 1999 when it banned the sale of any mechanically tenderized beef cuts contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Pritzker said that’s because testing of so-called non-intact steaks is far from foolproof and without any written warning to consumers that a cut of beef has been mechanically pierced, most people assume it is intact and can be safely cooked rare or medium. But it can’t. Mechanical tenderization drives surface E. coli into the meat center, where it can survive unless cooked well. On intact cuts of beef, flames and heat readily kill E. coli because it’s on the meat surface.
Restaurant Chains Involved in E. coli Steak Recall are Moe’s, Carino’s and KRM
National Steak and Poultry company issued a press release that identified three restaurant chains as the primary recipients of 248,000 pounds of beef steaks potentially contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 that was recalled on December 24th.
It was the first accounting of where the tainted steaks were distributed because USDA — the federal agency that regulates the meat industry — has been silent on the issue. When the recall was first announced, USDA said the recalled steaks, including many boneless cuts wrapped in bacon, had been distributed to restaurants nationwide.
But here’s how National Steak and Poultry explains it: “The recall is limited to beef products sold primarily to the
Moe’s, Carino’s Italian Grill, and KRM restaurants in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota and Washington. These are the states where the USDA has determined there have been illnesses that could be linked to contaminated beef.”
The company also said it is “in the process of reviewing our procedures and will make any necessary upgrades.”
KRM is parent company to a chain of 54th Street Grill & Bar restaurants, including some in Kansas. Moe’s Southwest Grill is a franchise restaurant chain with locations in several states, including Colorado and at least three Michigan cities: Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Grand Rapids. Carino’s is a chain with locations in South Dakota, Kansas and Colorado.
The outbreak of E. coli illnesses associated with blade-tenderized steaks has sickened at least 19 people in Michigan, Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas, Washington and Iowa according to a Tulsa World Herald quote from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman Arleen Parcell-Pharr.
The story also said this about the company’s admission that recalled product was made October 12, 13, 14 and 21: “The USDA verified those dates, adding that source material for the company’s chopped steak product produced Oct. 12 that had tested positive for E.coli O157:H7 had mingled with products produced on the other dates.”
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen was the first organization to publicly announce that state and federal health officials were investigating a steak E. coli outbreak involving mechanically tenderized steaks. The firm is still investigating how this outbreak could have been prevented and would like to hear from anyone with information; call 1-888-377-8900.
Studies have shown that piercing intact steaks and injecting them with brine and other liquids to improve flavor can drive surface E. coli into the center of the meat where it can survive if cooked rare or medium. That is why the USDA in 1999 banned the sale of non-intact steaks contaminated with E . coli O157:H7, a virulent bacteria that can lead to life-threatening disease.
No Steak E. coli Restaurant List Frustrates Food Safety
The food safety community is frustrated by the lack of any listing from National Steak and Poultry company (NSP) or the USDA identifying which restaurants received steaks sold by NSP in October that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
The E. coli steak problem was discovered by state and federal health officials investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota and Washington associated with blade-tenderized steaks.
Dr. Douglas Powell’s popular Barfblog acknowledged that national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen was the first to publicly identify the potential outbreak from blade-tenderized steaks sold to national restaurants. The firm has been investigating the outbreak for weeks and has been in contact with at least one victim.
Pritzker Olsen founder and president Fred Pritzker has called on NSP to identify restaurants affected by this recall pay all medical bills and lost wages for victims of this outbreak. If you have information about this outbreak, contact Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900.
On December 24, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of 248,000 pounds of steaks packed by National Steak and Poultry on October 12, 13, 14 and 21. These steaks were shipped to retaurants nationwide and a cluster of E. coli illnesses was identified and associated with blade-tenderized steaks. Recalled cases of steaks bear USDA establishment number EST 6010T.
The USDA regularly publishes a retail distribution list for all high-risk E. coli recalls, but the National Steak and Poultry outbreak is still active and there is no official listing of where the potentially contaminated steaks were delivered.
The danger of this restaurant steak E. coli outbreak is that many customers like their steak cooked rare or medium rare. Those choices are safe when the steak is intact and unprocessed. But studies have shown that mechanical tenderizing of steak with blades and needles pushes surface E. coli into the meat, where it can be insulated from flames and heat that normally kill the pathogens.
This outbreak should teach the meat and restaurant industries to label tenderized, non-intact steaks as dangerous and inform all customers of the risk of undercooking these cuts of beef. The needle-tenderized and injected steaks should be handled more like ground beef, which is required to be cooked to 160 degrees throughout to kill E. coli O157:H7. This human pathogen can cause life-long damage and health consequences in a significant subset of patients.
E coli Steak Recall and Restaurant Steak E coli Outbreak
National Steak and Poultry of Oklahoma has recalled 248,000 pounds of various steak products that were processed on four different days in October and may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a human pathogen banned from hamburger and mechanically tenderized or injected beef steak (legally known as non-intact steak).
Federal health investigators said they became aware of the problem at National Steak and Poultry while investigating a multi-state cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has been working with state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said late Thursday in the recall press release that there is an association between blade-tenderized non-intact steaks and E. coli illnesses in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota and Washington.
The restaurant steak E. coli outbreak and recall does not identify which national restaurant chains received the steaks, nor did it say how many people have been infected by the outbreak strains of E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly pathogen that is especially dangerous for young children, adults older than 60 and others with weakened immune systems. In more than 5 percent of cases, extremely painful and bloody diarrhea is followed by a life-threatening condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
Health officials are urging anyone with signs of the disease after eating steak at a restaurant to see a physician immediately. For legal questions, call national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). The firm has been investigating the outbreak for more than a week and has been contacted by at least one potential victim.
According to the National Steak and Poultry recall, the products in question were packaged on October 12, 13, 14, and 21 and shipped to restaurants nationwide. The cases bear the USDA plant I.D. number of 6010T inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Here is the complete list of recalled products:
- 4-ounce “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “SC68408.”
- 6-ounce “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “SP680608.”
- 8-ounce “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “SC68808”
- 9-ounce “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “SC68908.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF TIPS,” with an identifying case code of “69108.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK” with an identifying case code of “XXSP68008.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY SAVORY SIRLOIN TIPS” with an identifying case code of “XX69008.”
- 5-ounce “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BACON WRAPPED BEEF FILLET,” with an identifying case code of “23508.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY USDA SELECT BEEF SHOULDER MARINATED TENDER MEDALLIONS” with an identifying case code of “23289.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY 75% BONELESS BEEF TRIMMINGS,” with an identifying case code of “33575.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BEEF TRIMMINGS,” with an identifying case code of “36545.”
- “NATIONAL STEAK AND POULTRY BEEF SIRLOIN PHILLY STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “88008.”
- 4-ounce “EGN BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “680425.”
- 7-ounce “EGN BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN TRI TIP STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “69725.”
- 9-ounce “EGN BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN TRI TIP STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “680925.”
- 7-ounce “KRM BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “680715.”
- 9-ounce “KRM BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “680915.”
- 12-ounce “KRM BONELESS BEEF SIRLOIN STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “680215.”
- 8-ounce “CARINO’S BONELESS BEEF OUTSIDE SKIRT STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “130874.”
- “CARINO’S BONELESS BEEF OUTSIDE SKIRT STEAK PIECES,” with an identifying case code of “13074.”
- “MOE’S BEEF STEAK,” with an identifying case code of “78027.”
