Enjoy Ground Beef and be Food Smart

Nothing satisfies like a big burger (and for me, a plate of fries next to that salad) for a delicious summertime dinner!

Even news of thousands of pounds of ground beef recalled for possible E. coli contamination doesn't need to scare you off from the simple pleasure of a burger.

In the spirit of back to school season, I remind you to be smart about your food prep and take actions to prevent illness from ground beef. As a faithful follower here, you know the foodborne illness we're talking about is E. coli and it is a bad one.

So fire up the grill, get out your thermometer and prepare your burgers using these golden rules:

Do not eat ground beef unless it has been cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit;

Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat separate from other food that won’t be cooked;

Do not use the color of a meat product to judge whether products are properly cooked — use a thermometer instead;

Refrigerate meat products within two hours of buying and even sooner if temperatures are higher than 90 degrees;

Refrigerate cooked meat within two hours of cooking;

Always wash your hands, cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water.
   
   
   

Packed Lunches and Your Food Safety

Packing hot weather lunches for school or work requires extra precautions to keep your cold foods cold and free of foodborne pathogens. A recent University of Texas study found that of 700 children's lunches, fewer than 2% of the meats, dairy and vegetables were at safe temperatures about 90 minutes before lunchtime. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, said that even though 45% of the lunch bags had an ice pack and 12% were kept in a refrigerator, almost all of the perishable foods still were in the danger zone for developing bacteria that leads to food poisoning. more 

Image: Late 19th century miners' dinner pails, from the exhibition "Taking America to Lunch" at the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC.   

       

Next: Bacteriophage to Reduce Salmonella

Great news to share this week:   

Intralytix was awarded a NIFA/USDA grant for managing Salmonella in food. See the full press release below. Feel free to contact me here via Food Safety Solutions or at the labs if you'd like more information. 

Intralytix Awarded Grant For Managing Salmonella in Food

            Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A. – August 4, 2011 – Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a grant under a National Institute of Food And Agriculture (NIFA) / United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Grants Program for the development of a phage preparation for reducing or eliminating Salmonella contamination in foods. 

            Intralytix is a world leader in the development of bacteriophage or phage-based products for food safety.  The company already has two FDA/USDA approved phage-based products on the market: ListShield™, effective at substantially reducing or eliminating Listeria monocytogenes on food products, and EcoShield™, effective at substantially reducing or eliminating E. coli O157:H7 on red meat intended for grinding.

            “We are pleased that phage technology is being recognized by this NIFA/USDA grant,” remarked John Woloszyn, Intralytix’s CEO.  “Phage-based antibacterials are a quickly emerging technology providing a safe, effective and all natural way to protect food from pathogenic bacterial contamination,” he added.  Mr. Woloszyn also noted that “phages can be effective against bacterial pathogens that have developed resistance against antibiotics.”

            “Salmonellae continue to be one of the leading causes of foodborne disease worldwide, causing 1.3-1.4 million cases of salmonellosis annually in the USA alone” stated Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze, Intralytix’s Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator of the SBIR grant.  “This NIDA/USDA grant will help in developing a bacteriophage-based, safe, and effective approach for reducing the risk of foodborne salmonellosis” Dr. Sulakvelidze added.

            Intralytix, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on using its core bacteriophage/phage technology platform to improve human health through the development and commercialization of innovative products for food safety, animal health and human therapeutics.

            For more information, contact Mr. John Woloszyn (410-625-3813) or jwoloszyn@intralytix.com) or Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze (410-625-2533 or asulakvelidze@intralytix.com).

Safety by Nature™