 An analysis in the January 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine revealed 69% of pork chops and ground pork that the organization sampled from around the U.S. tested positive for Yersinia enterocolitica, a bacteria that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can result in fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Consumer Reports also found 3-7% of the samples harbored salmonella, staphylococcus aureus or listeria monocytogenes, other common pathogens for foodborne illness. Twenty-three percent of the samples contained none of the tested bacteria. Of the 198 samples, the organization found other alleged complications with the "other white meat." The sampling also claims that some of the bacteria were resistant to typical antibiotics that are used to treat foodborne illnesses, such as amoxicillin, penicillin, tetracycline and streptomycin. Of the 132 samples with Yersinia enterocolitica, 121 of those were resistant to one or more antibiotics. "The frequent use of low-dose antibiotics in pork farming may be accelerating the growth of drug-resistant 'superbugs' that threaten human health," said Consumer Reports. "Farms are a natural environment where bacteria are present, so farmers have invested millions of dollars in research to understand how antibiotics and other tools can help us produce a healthier, safer, product for consumers," added Steve Larsen, director of pork safety. In a separate Consumer Reports sampling, one-fifth of 240 pork products contained traces of ractopamine, a controversial veterinary drug that promotes both growth and leanness in farm animals. Ractopamine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999 for hogs, but it is banned in approximately 160 other countries - including China and the European Union. Tested pork brands in the Consumer Report analysis include:
The CDC estimates that 48 million Americans each year contract a foodborne illness. To prevent Y. enterocolitica infections, the federal agency recommends the following steps: 1. Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork. 2. Consume only pasteurized milk or milk products. 3. Wash hands with soap and water before eating and preparing food, after contact with animals, and after handling raw meat. 4. After handling raw chitterlings, clean hands and fingernails scrupulously with soap and water before touching infants or their toys, bottles, or pacifiers. Someone other than the food handler should care for children while chitterlings are being prepared. 5. Prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen: Use separate cutting boards for meat and other foods. Carefully clean all cutting boards, counter-tops, and utensils with soap and hot water after preparing raw meat. 6. Dispose of animal feces in a sanitary manner. Consumer resources: |
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i have not attended any school , but i did some research on my own , all you pig lovers [satan animal] look up this on the internet : methicillin resistant staphylococcus , then reply !
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all folks you actually realize what you are speaking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also consult with my site =). We may have a link exchange arrangement between us!
Jiangsu Changyu Chemical Co., Ltd http://www.changyuex.com/
i don't get why humans have to cook our meat, bacteria from meat do not effect carnivores who eat raw flesh.
I would challenge you to read the "other side" of this story. As you are well aware, there are two sides to every story and it is sad to say that Consumers Reports did not do that. Please read http://www.feedstuffsfoodlink.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=124ECF05FDF84451B3E79A337664CA3C&nm=Blog&type=Blog&mod=View+Topic&mid=67D6564029914AD3B204AD35D8F5F780&tier=7&id=51208989134546138B957E2CEDFB5DA2
Didn't pigs recently kill and eat a 70 year old farmer? I think his family found his dentures in the pigpen when he didn't return from feeding them.
you are right , i have heard of a similar story , pig lovers beware !
I got da SWINE FLU from a pig. it was terrible. the only prescription? was cowbell. that and a bacon sandwich.
MORE COWBELL!!!!
i swear to god I just maybe a month ago read that Pork no longer had to be heated to the previous guidelines, as it was safer than it used to be 'in the old days' when temperature guidelines came out. I just don't know who to believe any more. hell with it. i'll just do what I want.
There is bacteria in chicken, beef and pork. That is why you cook meat. This is just another useless article from CNN.
Also, it is extremely rare for bacteria to be IN meat; it is almost invariably ON meat, and the interior is free of bacteria. Ground meat, of course, would be an exception.
The high temperature recommendations for pork were lowered because they were aimed at ensuring control of trichinosis. Trichinosis has been effectively eliminated from the US swine herd, so such overcooking is no longer necessary. In addition, a large portion of pork sold in the US is frozen, which is also kills trichinosis parasites should any happen to be present. Trichinosis is still a problem in wild boar, in deer and in bear, all of which should be cooked thoroughly or frozen according to FDA guidelines before eating.
Bacteria occur on the surface of meat. They will be killed by pretty much any cooking process, even if the interior of the meat is left extremely rare.
You should point out that "just" freezing isn't sufficient. There are established time/temperature protocols that have been shown to be effective, and even they depend on how thick the cut is.
A lot of pork is "moisture enhanced" today. This is primarily accomplished by multiple needle injection. This process can carry surface bacteria into the interior of the meat, so one unfortunately can't rely on internal sterility unless you know for sure that you have 100% pure pork.
say it again Interesting. What I care about is this: I am a type 1 diabetic. My feet were going to be amputated. until I found a simple way to stop that from happening. if you are a diabetic you need to read saveyourfeetDOTwordpressDOTcom
just kidding. i just like to randomly spam pages. i'm not diabetic and this is all madeup.
something Interesting. What I care about is this: I am a type 1 diabetic. My feet were going to be amputated. until I found a simple way to stop that from happening. if you are a diabetic you need to read saveyourfeetDOTwordpressDOTcom
ust kidding. i just like to randomly spam pages. i'm not diabetic and this is all madeup.
What is the difference between corporate-money-hawk-devil-worshipping-weekend-golf-playing-meat-growth-hormone-pumping-junk-food-selling-war-mongering-baby-killing-selfish-always-hungry-for-more-cant-get-sleep-at-night-because-of-stress-monsters-who-sell-drugs-pigs-FDA-bribing-politician-bribing-credit-giving-loan-giving-interest-consuming-people and children?
Children have adult supervision.
You might want to get those meds upped just a tweak...
LOUD NOISES!!! ARRRRR . i'm a pirate.
What the FDA needs to do is purge all of the corporate insiders from it's ranks and fix the agency so we don't have corporate interests creating the legislation that is supposed to regulate their respective industries. Maybe then they could start to fix the agency. Corruption of every imaginable form is the biggest problem in the U.S. and it affects every aspect of our daily lives.
I used to know a guy who claimed to be a "chef". After he told me how they would slightly "under cook" pork chops if the cuts were really nice I knew he was no chef.
The only reason religions prominent in third world countries prohibit eating pork is because when their religious texts were written people didn't understand the importance of proper cooking.
I would be far more concerned about the rampant use of growth hormones and antibiotics than I would be about bacteria.
you are wrong. undercooking is actually fairly prominent on good pork. you just have to get the surface area done well, the middle usually holds no problems.
The only reason for past guidance recommending that pork have the sh it cooked out of it was trichinosis; the heat killed the parasites. Trichinosis is also killed by freezing, and a good deal of pork is frozen at some point in the market cycle. More important, though, is that trichinosis has been effectively eliminated from the US swine herd for some time, so cooking to medium instead of well done is now common, and there's no harm in even rarer preparation other than conditioned tastes.
Trichinosis is still a problem in wild boar, deer and bear; these should be cooked to a higher internal temperature, or frozen according to FDA guidelines before eating.
sorry i am very fussy what i consume , i will never eat an animal that eats their own 'waste' and 'humans' !!!
Isn't it interesting that in developing countries whos populations are gaining wealth, the first thing that those people do is increase the amount of meat that is in their diet. Large areas of our world does not eat meat simply because they can not afford to. As they develop and gain wealth, they replace the main staples of their past diet, such as rice and other cheaper food sources with a more expensive protein source called meat. They are very grateful of the ability just to consume meat while we here in America have become a very ungrateful society.
ungrateful? for what? for our hard work? for our willingness to sacrifice our lives in defense of our freedom and the freedom of others? we built this country in less than 400 years. we have no one to thank but ourselves. you want in? feel free, immigration is legal.
I am an American citizen. Thank You. Born and raised. The point of my comment is that we as Americans have things at our fingertips that many others can only dream about, and what do we do with it? We take it for granted. Everything that our ansesters have built, we assume should just be available to us just because. It is an entitlement that we need to earn ourselves. We sometimes forget how good we have it. If the only thing we have to argue about is what diet eachother chooses, then I believe we will all be okay.
You're right. I'm pulling out my Gentleman's Club member card out and exercising my right to make it rain in da club TONIGHT.
May be we should acknowledge why Sharia and Kosher laws prohibit eating pork. Pigs eat their own poop and unborn babies. Also youtube why Muslims dont eat pork and you will see Joel Osteen give a whole sermon why pigs are bad for you. And he is a Christian preacher. Not surprised at Christians because they dont even listen to what Jesus Christ had to say, leave alone Joel Osteen.
@JesusSaves Thats not good manners my friend. The last Prophet of God said that the best of you are he ones that are the best in character. So I am not going to spit hate and curses at you because it is forbidden in Islam. But bring your proof and lets discuss the issues you have in a civilized manner. Muslim world is going through a traumatic time right now because for the past 200 years or so Muslims have left the true teachings of Islam. Also, we love and follow Jesus (peace be upon him), wejust don't worship him. It is a major sin to worship anyone besides our Creator.
A very nice response, we should all be so kind to one another.
pigs are nasty end of story. FDA needs to hire some real people to do some real research and ban this nasty animal from consumption. the problem is we have too many sell outs to corporations making money at the cost of American health and wellness. take down your ads and tvs and music and entertainment and false news and movies from the public spaces and stop influencing (infesting forcefully like brain washing) American minds into so called being free but actually being enslaved by corporations and animalistic human desires. and you think you are free? you are living your lives the way others want you to. THINK ABOUT IT.
I am like so uncorporate. THE MAN don't have jack on me. I like to hang around NorCal chasing after braless hippie broads in Priuses. I lure them with my special granola bar.
Anyone who profits off of other peoples miseries and destruction needs to be behind bars.
From sports, food, entertainment, music and movies to wars, politics – we as Americans are enslaved through our desires (aka freedom) to sick people who worship devil in secret.
What the FDA really needs to do is purge all of the corporate insiders from it's ranks and fix the agency so we don't have corporate interests creating the legislation that is supposed to regulate their respective industries. Maybe then they could start to fix the agency. Corruption of every imaginable form is the biggest problem in the U.S. and it affects every aspect of our daily lives.
How does one eat an unborn baby?
There's nothing to acknowledge. Judaism and Islam have a wide range of dietary restrictions that are completely unrelated to health. The prohibition of pork, for example, has nothing to do with disease or health; it is a direct consequence of the general rule that eating any animal with cloven hoofs that don't chew their cud, and vice versa; this includes not only pigs, but rabbits, camels and hyraxes, among others. A general restriction on consuming the sciatic nerve – which can be very difficult to butcher around – eliminates whole portions of many animals from consumption. The list is long and complex; that it overlaps in one or two instances with animals that occasionally carry a specific disease isn't surprising, but is a matter of chance, nor wisdom.
two great religions , islam & judaism cant be wrong , sorry you christians are in a minority on this issue !
A Summer on a Pig Farm 45 years ago, cured me of ever eating Pork again. Absolutely disgusting animals with no redeeming value. The Jews are correct, eat this crap and suffer the consequences, heathens.
Dave's not here
islam has said this more than 1400 years ago !
You gotta love the pork industry response..."farms are natural places with bacteria," if only industrial animal agriculture was in any way natural...The source of contaminated meat is in the slaughter process as gut contents and manure come into contact with the meat. And the source of antibiotic bacteria are from the standard practice of feeding low dose medication to animals over their entire lifetime. The endless pace of death is why we have contamination...workers simply don't have time to be careful. EAT LESS MEAT and definitely don't eat corporate meat!
I've been eating "corporate meat" all my life, never a problem. But if you want to drive your Prius 30 miles out to some graying hippie's organic farm to pick vegetables be my guest.
So... we're not supposed to eat raw meat? Good to know.
.....Report finds 69% of pork contaminated with bacteria ...........another report finds that 100 % of our politicians lie .........so, pigs are doing better than our politicians.
They also have serious autoimmune diseases
Two words: local farm. Know where your meat is coming from and support a local business at the same time. I guarantee you it's a lot healthier for you and a lot more humane for the animal.
Amen – I'd recommend that you watch the documentary Food Inc. – it will change your life. We've been communicating the issue of industrial food production to our kids – it's the current generation who will make a difference in how animals are raised for human consumption – there is a right way and a wrong way. And if enough people decide to not participate in the industrial system – the industrial system will change – we vote with our $'s every day. All you have to do is trace the origin of the nicely packaged product that appears in the nicely appointed food store to make you change your mind on what you choose to eat.
I guarantee you're wrong. We don't hear about small farmer problems simply because they're...small. They're not monitored at sufficient resolution to show up in our screening network. And there are just as many germs and sloppy handling practices there as anywhere else.
Two words: FAT CHANCE. Most people don't live anywhere near a local farm that sells its goods to the publio, and even if so how many could afford small-scale farm prices?
hmmm- we just bought half a pig from a local farm for $1.89 a lb.....definitely cheaper than the grocery store and the processor (and farm itself) have been inspected and certified!
Driving out to a farm to buy food doesn't work well when you live in the middle of Manhattan and have no car, or when you're living in Santa Monica and just driving to the local Safeway is a battle. Such an option doesn't exist for many people. See my point?
Sure, it may be unfeasible in the two most densely populated urban areas in the country, lol! But any city the size of Chicago or smaller, and it's not hard at all to get locally contracted meat, delivered if necessary.
It's not cheaper once you take yield into account. And if you buy in the same manner from a commercial source, you'll probably get an even better deal, for the same reason – you're paying for a lot of stuff that will either be thrown out or isn't very desirable. And that's all before you get to the cost of freezing it and maintaining it at correct temperature for long periods.
A lot of these farms will ship and you can ask friends or neighbors if they would like to go in with you on the purchase of a 1/2 or 1/4 to really see greater value.
Whole Foods [whole paycheck]' isn't gonna like this!
'Monsanto and ConAgra' are in league with Satan! i can prove it. it's an anagram of 'As to con man and groan'. see? see?!! do you need any clearer proof?????
what are you smoking? LOL
"Dang constant aroma" also works. Anything else?
na, dont nag macaroons.
Raccoon don't snag a man
lolol. awesome.
GMO crops or bacteria-infested meat? i can always cook the hell out of meat and kill bacteria. i cannot rewire the genetic structure of tweaked vegetables. i think i'll stick to meat.
Your meat is GMO too. Better stick to dirt.
vegans are monsters who consume the food that animals need to survive! HOW DARE YOU!! next time you suck down that plate of sprouts and tofu think about the millions of starving animals in Africa and India who are forced to go to bed each night hungry. if you saw one on the streets today and it said 'would you please sponsor me' would you turn it away? well now for just 25 cents a day you can ensure that some animal across the world will get a good meal every day and have clean water to drink. 25 cents... not even the price of one cup of coffee and it could mean so much. agree to sponsor an animal and you will receive monthly letters from your animal and photos showing you its progress....
I like how they don't mention which farms or companies are the worst offenders. Not like you'd know where it comes from when you buy it anyway, but still. If there's a way for consumers to go with the safest pork suppliers don't you think we would?!?!?
Who in their right mind would eat a pig? Seems like a very sick idea to begin with.
pig...does a body good! there is no more perfect food than bacon!
Reports find vegan's are anti meat 69 % of the time. I enjoy eating piggies raised on our farm & we know whats in them from the start to the finish.
Oh' soo tasty when we roast a nice eighty pound pig over the open fire pit in the summer.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
The pig is God's favorite animal. Why else would he have made it out of bacon? Mmmmm! BACON!!
On the contrary, pig is not the best and cleanest animal.Pork is harmful, you better eat useful kinds of meat.
Bacon, Ribs, Sausage, Chops....if those foods don't make your mouth water, then you want the Terrorists to win!
do you realise that you are eating an animal that eats their own 'waste' and 'humans' , pig is satans food !
oy vey! don't eat pork
"6. Dispose of animal feces in a sanitary manner." Say what??? What is animal feces doing anywhere near your food? And why do they have to tell people not to eat it?
Did you know that meat comes from animals... which produce feces? Did you also know that you have to remove all of that when you carve the animals up? I know, I know. Take a second to process that.
News flash: meat comes from animals!
New update: animals defecate!
... they did mention chittlins... do you know what they are, and what their purpose was while the pig was still alive??
Most pork is safe to eat provided you cook it really well, which means slowly at moderate heat or braise it in a very hot skillet and then cook it for a long time until it is tender. If you are dumb enough to eat raw pork or, worse, ground raw pork, you deserve whatever serious illness comes your way. Ground pork is not steak tartare, it's poison.
If 69% of pork has bacteria on it, that strongly suggests that having those bacteria on it is not harmful. I haven't noticed vast swaths of the pork-eating population keeling over.
Much of that has to do with preparation. I bet you would see lots of people getting sick if they lowered the recommended "cook to" temps for pork products.
First: so what? Pork sashimi is a mistake, right out of the box.
Second: I doubt undercooking would present a problem with cuts of meat; bacteria is generally only present on the surface, where it is exposed to direct heat.
Actually there have been HUGE outbreaks of yersinia here in San Diego, and in the midwest. I know several people who have gotten sick with it in the last two weeks.
The "outbreak" in San Diego came from squirrels. And that was a different strain of Yersinia; in fact, it was Yersinia pestis, or plague, which is still endemic in many areas yet rarely causes outbreaks in humans anymore. In any case, a totally unrelated issue. I can't find any record of any sort of outbreak in the Midwest, so you're likely wrong about this, too.
instead of eating pigs please eat ship or chicken
What kind of ship do you recommend? I'm partial to dhows myself.
i used to like refried pirogue but my doctor said i have to cut back on grease.
LOL
ship? Titanic?
because pig eat their waste
their body are full of bacteria and disease.
do not eat that
puppies eat their own feces too... but there's no way i'm gonna stop eating puppy!
Puppies? Nah, you have to try baby duck! The cutest animals are the tastiest! ;)
baby duck kebabs! yummers! gellied baby seal brains are also splendid but so hard to find these days :(
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT SPOTTED OWL TASTES JUST LIKE CHICKEN. YUMMMMMMMMMMM,,,,,,, SPOTTED OWL !!!!!
And eagles taste like freedom!
in Islam eating the pig is taboo.
please do eat that
What is even sadder about this thread is that right now, there are lots of starving people all over the world, living on dirt, and whatever roots they can dig up out of the ground, who would love to have some meat to eat, and these rich vegan brats are complaining about people eating animals. So elitist. I am part Cherokee, and my ancestors hunted and gathered. They lived off of the land, and never wasted a thing, and to this day, it is still going on. I am proud of this way of life, and the next time some little entitlement generation brat comes up to me and tells me not to wear leather shoes, or eat animals, I am going to point out that without meat, man would not be here today.
I was a farmer back in the 70's until the pigs in my farm bridged the fence and broke into the farm next door. My pigs eat all of the neighboring farm chickens and cows. The law suit put me out of business.
Your pigs built a bridge over the fence? Wow.
Don't joke...the pigs devoured the farmer next door. At least that's how his wife explained his disappearance. I theorized the guy took advantage of the whole ordeal to leave her and the kids and thankfully it stuck in court.
So sorry to hear that. :-(
I was raised to not eat Pork. I eat mostly seafood or Organic if I have to eat meat – Chicken. People ask me if I am Jewish because I do not eat Pork. Not sure the reasoning behind my upbringing, but after many years I can not eat it. I actually get a rash when I eat it to be sociable or whatever. If a dead man/woman falls the ground accidentally and dies they "Hogs" will eat him. I just recently heard on this story on the news. But I am sorry for you business loss. I am sure you are doing much better.
Some Jewish people don't eat seafood either. I guess it depends on how observant one is.
in Islam no one eat that.
eating pork is taboo.
Cough bullsh_t. Another troll testimonal.
pigs are very dirty animal.
get lost them
my friend, go sleep! Every ANIMAL that isn't COOKED PROPERLY has GERMS in them. Is everyone Muslim? or should we become Muslims cos eating pork is a taboo? Why don't you make your point without the Religion, you fanatic.
go check this on the internet then you respond : methicillin resistant staphylococcus ???
Look at the machine in a deli that they slice meats and cheese with. It is never cleaned between cutting different products and bacteria grows on the blade. Bon Appetit
Visit a farm and you will see why. Pigs are cannibalistic and have been known to kill children and partially eat them.
you are a idiot... pigs will eat anything if starved but will not eat humans or other pigs unless starved to death..
How do pigs that were starved to death eat? Aren't they dead? Do you mean pigs eat other pigs or random humans who happen to starve to death and die in the vicinity of live pigs, who then eat them up?
Not true. My grandmother's neighbor had a stroke, fell over the fence into the pig pen. The pigs ate a good portion of him- a grown man, not a child- and had to be beaten back so what remained could be retrieved. Pigs don't care. meat is meat and they like meat.
yeah? but how do they fire the handguns without opposable thumbs?
This is why in Islam the pork is illegal :)
That is complete BS. Muslims knew squat about bacteria hundreds of years ago, let alone 1400 years ago. Get an education you vermin.
Actually he's right. The same is true for Levitcus and shellfish in the Old Testament. Theydidn't know about germs, but it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that people who ate pork or shellfish got the green apple splatters.
Oh and btw... You can thank those "muslims" for Algebra, the concept of zero, keeping the Greek classics safe from book burning Europeans, and universities :)
Actually Muslims got algebra and all their math from India....they had no concept about simple mathematics until they got it all from India !!
I agree- Muslims didn't know anything about bacteria 1400 yrs ago, which proves why the Quran is the word of God and not man.... ;)
I see what you did there. The Founding Father's didn't know about germs either... HERETICS! SAVAGES!!
Agreed. Just like the Revelation of Moses, the Revelation of Muhammad is flawless & teaches man what man does not know. BTW I am not a Muslim.
Your smartass remark is making you look like a dumbass. Cultural foods are there for a reason. You don't need a science degree to figure out what gave you the trots, lol.
Cultural food prep or taboos are there for a reason. You don't need a science degree to figure out what gave you the trots, lol.
muslims will also tell you this, i have never been to a school but nobody can each us about cleanliness , do your research like i have done , go into : methicillin resistant staphylococcus ???
we muslims dont believe everything the west tell us whatever they tell you then that is the time to do your research etc
Pork is illegal but murdering, bombing is legal!!!!!
Wow!! Great religion.
Actually bombing is not permitted by the Koran, but didn't Jesus once say "don't ever give a sucker a break?" Or was that Jon Gotti? Either way, it's a great quote.
Not to get off-topic, but the IRA bombed and killed plenty in the name of Catholicism.
The IRA did not bomb anyone in the name of Catholicism. They bombed people in the name of "get the hell out of my country". Occupied nations have been known to do that.
Agree with you. Both are effed up.
"Oh and btw... You can thank those "muslims" for Algebra, the concept of zero, keeping the Greek classics safe from book burning Europeans, and universities"
Actually, no. That all took place pre-Islam. Right geographic region, wrong time period.
they gave us beer! hooray beer!
Actually Muslims got algebra and all their math from India....they had no concept about simple mathematics until they got it all from India !!
Poking around where the USDA is concerned will always reveal disturbing findings.
Always did feel pork was "dirty" – I probably won't eat it for a very long time now
Try driving by a beef feedlot - you won't eat beef for even longer.
I only buy grass-fed beef. It's expensive but worth it for the peace of mind.
Hog farming apparently has caught up with the American pop-a-pill culture, in these particular instances with "pop the antibiotics and another pill to promote growth." FDA "oversight" is a dangerous joke – very heavily industry-weighted.
Unless you like pork sushi, the moral to this story is to thoroughly cook your food.
That reminds me...Miss Piggy should get tested b4 Kermit gives her any more green.
This is what deregulating agrobusiness and underfunding its watchdogs gets you.
told ya.......
It's true that humans have evolved and/or adapted to the point where we can consume SOME meat (mostly after it's cooked so that it's more digestible). But the best food staple for humans is still fruit and vegetables, as any dietician will tell you.
And scientists and doctors will tell you that a diet high in animal protein put people more at risk for various diseases, such as vascular diseases and cancer. You will not find many (if any) that say the same for fruit and vegetables. Quite the opposite.
I reside in "hog country" and have my entire life. In a general sense, I am very supportive of our agricultural community. However, when it comes to Pork Production the consuming public needs to wake up and smell the stench. The area in which I reside is populated by hog confinements; hundreds of them. The corporate and wealthy owners are very politically powerful and substantially impact our state legislature to their exclusive advantage. The confinements pollute the air for miles with a stench that makes one gag. The lagoons of hog waste are poorly managed and the fish kills are rampant. Our children can no longer swim in or rivers or streams and in some cases, lakes. The "farmer" no longer fits the widely held public image of someone who works hard, has dirt under his or her fingernails and understands his/her animals and social responsibilities. Our "farmers" are in majority millionaires (no kidding!) who receive government subsidies NOT to produce food. The employees of the confinements burn their clothes when they get done cleaning a confinement. The hogs are in cages and for their entire life never see daylight or turn around in their cage. The antibiotics are used rampantly and with disregard for the impact described in the article. The "hog producers" laugh about the concerns voiced in this article as "silly". Hog production is simply "big business" with no regard for public welfare or health. Here is a my challenge to the those who do not take this article seriously. Go sit within 150 yards of a hog confinement for 30 minutes. Take a good sized paper bag for your vomitus. Then go home and read this article and sit down to a good "Iowa Pork Chop Dinner". I would rather eat carp feces.
Perfect reason for buying from your local family farm if you can. Big food chains & corporations scare the crap outta me – literally, lol.
I find it very difficult to believe much of what Consumer Reports has to say. Their testings on products I am professionally familiar with are flawed or leveraged.
So how do they plant hormones and bacteria?
hormones and bacteria require a loamy soil, with a slight gravel base for good drainage. plant approximately 1 inch deep and give plenty of direct sun for most of the day. when 2 inches tall, water 1 cup per week.
As a medical microbiologist and having been previously employed for assistance in disease outbreaks and surveillance, I completely disagree. This consumer report is not surprising to me at all, and doesn't even touch upon the parasites such as cysticercosis or trichinosis that are often found in pork. Pork, in general, is one of the most disease-related meats that we consume.
Impersonating a medical professional is a crime in most jurisdictions. I just thought you should know.
Trichinosis has been all but eliminated from the US swine herd. It simply isn't a concern anymore. You have a much, much higher chance of contracting trichinosis from deer than you do from domestic pigs.
Rob, you're an idiot. Consumer Reports is as unbiased as possible. They take zero funds from advertisers. They purchase products on the open market.
You must have had little experience with products. My family have purchased 4 (new) vehicles over the past 17 years based on recommendations from CR and have been pleased with everything about them. We still own 3 out of the 4. My Subaru Outback is 15 years old and I'll drive it until the wheels fall off. It's a great car. I love it.
There are a few times that CR will review a specific model in one year and later models will be more or less dependable. I found this to be the case with a crock pot. Still, for an item costing less than $100 there's no reason to decide an entire system doesn't work. You must pay attention to the model numbers and years. When the ceramic liner broke I found another on eBay for less than the cost of a new device. You must be clever at times. I really liked that crock pot. I use it frequently.
Between the arguments between the port eaters and non-pork eaters, is anyone considering *why* this problem exists and what to do about it? That "pork safety" guy who said farms naturally contain bacteria is full of . . . well, let's say bacteria. We don't raise our animals on farms anymore, we have factories that are run by corporations that only care about doing things as cheaply as possible. I'd like to see the results from testing pigs raised by actual farmers.
Excellent and accurate point. We no longer have "Farmers". We have "Farm owners" and employees and the corporate exclusive focus on that which financially expedient pervades agricultural production just as it does in so many areas more widely recognized by the media and general public.
Gregg, it's called factory farming. Pigs have very little space and they're basically standing in their own feces all the time. It's disgusting. It's cheaper to give them antibiotics than space to be clean.
It puts dollars above animal welfare.
They were genetically engineered to have human genes. It was a peace offering to those of the Reptilian Royal bloodline to keep them from eating humans. Sometimes, they eat humans though.
Ok, that's it, no more LSD for you.
And no, the walls aren't melting.
It is true. Truth is stranger than Fiction! At least the NWo had the decency to post this. I am a bit surprised.
Pigs are very similar to humans in terms of their DNA makeup. Some 94 percent of pig DNA matches with the DNA of a human being. The only other animal that has a closer DNA match is a monkey, with 98 percent correlation.
humans and cabbages share approximately 52% dna. that proves that man descended from cabbages and anyone eating cabbages in any form is nothing but a cannibal.
The other side of this is true, as well. It is a major immunology goal to perform xenotransplantation of pig organs to humans, as they are incredibly similar in size and function. It's already been done with very basic elements, such as skin and valves, but a main goal is to genetically alter pig organ receptors so that humans won't reject them post transplantation. Pretty interesting stuff, actually.
As a representative of our Reptilian Overlords and Benefactors from outer space, I take offense to the lie that they eat human. Stop watching tv. Sometimes "To Serve Man" is NOT a cookbook.
pigs eat humans , yes it's true , it was on all your tv channels in america , so who is fooling who ???
it is satans food !
what a duma$$ story. is the next story going to be: "100% of stomachs found to contain bacteria"? why don't you do a story on how reporters are 100% BS? THAT'S WHY WE COOK FOOD M0R0NS!!!
It's reasonable to expect that meat come into our kitchens without contamination. And it used to, before the government deregulated agro-business and removed funding from the agencies that watch over it.
If 69% of pork have bacteria, it's reasonable to conclude that there isn't a problem. I haven't noticed vast swaths of the pork-eating population keeling over.
People can eat raw vegetables and fruit all day long with no ill effect. Not so with meat.
Have you forgotten the vegetable recalls of late?
That's because of unsanitary handling. That's completely different than the inherent undigestibility and bacterial content of meat.
The inherent undigestibility of meat is a myth, and meat is not "naturally" more contaminated by bacteria. In fact, properly handled, it's essentially sterile. Enjoy your vegan lifestyle but don't wrap it in pseudo-science.
Sure, if you say so. Is that why they keep telling people to handle meat carefully and avoid cross-contamination? A carnivore would have no problem eating raw meat even if it's slightly (or very) spoiled.
Meat is eminently digestible, and only very rarely contains bacteria within itself. Bacteria present on meat – just like bacteria present on fruits and vegetables – is invariably introduced on the surface, during harvest and subsequent handling. Huge fail on your part.
"Is that why they keep telling people to handle meat carefully and avoid cross-contamination?"
The same strictures apply to fruits and vegetables. I have a feeling I don't want to eat anything that comes out of your kitchen, if you're this illiterate when it comes to basic food handling and sanitation.
'That's because of unsanitary handling.'
Incorrect. All the veg and fruits were contaminated internally. All the washing of that lettuce, tomato, spinach and other veg would not have solved the problem of e coli contamination. Please stop spreading this ignorant misinformation. The facts are available everywhere on the internet. Look them up for yourself.
Hate to tell you this but I quit buying raw spinach and also cantaloupes because of all the recalls and illnesses, they grow in the ground where animal waste is deposited. There's also the pesticide issue, sad to say we are making our food supply dangerous due to current corporate farming practices.
Apparently you have a very short memory.
Actually, he's correct. I'm not a vegetarian but the fact that humans need to cook meat before eating is telling enough. Try surviving on raw beef or pork, like carnivorous animals. You'd succumb to disease and die. Even after cooking, some of it is indigestible. Scientific fact, not a hippie rant. It does beg the question, however, of where humans got the idea of eating meat in the first place, if it is not natural to do so... scarce vegetation? Mimicking animals?
Not really. Historically, people thousands of years ago ate plenty of raw meat. Food-borne illnesses are very prevalent in America, partly because you can walk into any grocery store and see cooked/smoked meat or fish next to raw meat or fish–illegal in Europe because of cross-contamination. Add to that the conditions in which animals are raised. Hundreds/thousands of years ago, animals weren't forced into unnatural environments such as feed lots where they live in their own excrement and are fed by-products of other animals. If you buy fresh, free-range, organic meat, you're already a step ahead.
And by the way, even after cooking, parts of vegetables are indigestible. Scientific fact. (I eat a ton of vegetables. And also lots of meat.)
Of course parts of anything people eat can be indigestible. It's a question of proportions. Eating raw fruit and vegetables in large quantities for extended periods will likely have no adverse effects on a person. In fact, the effects will most likely beneficial, like a regular bowel movement, low cholesterol, low body fat, etc. On the other hand, eating raw meat for extended periods will likely have negative effects.
Er, no, not even close to being any kind of a fact, let alone a scientific one. People can happily digest raw meat. It tends to taste better when cooked, but that's also true of many fruits and vegetables – quite a few of which, in fact, are truly indigestible without proper and often elaborate cooking.
Wrong! There have been all kinds of out breaks of Salmonella in vegetables. Not long ago cabbage caused many deaths and much sickness. Peanuts were just in the news for the same thing. My wife and nearly died sharing a peach once that apparently had been picked by someone who had not washed after going to the bathroom. In fact this is a major problem with all pickers as they use outdoor toilets with no facilities for washing. Salad is the worst thing you can order in a restaurant as the people working there do not wash as often as they should. The best part about meat is it is cooked destroying the bacteria.
Again, that's due to poor sanitary or farming practice, not something inherent in the vegetables or fruit themselves. On the other hand, try eating raw meat for some time, and you're much more likely to contract something.
Uh – any bacteria present on meat is likewise due to poor handling practices. It isn't inherent in the meat itself.
Your level of ignorance is appalling.
Yeah, that's why my raw vegan friend had to go to the hospital, because she had MOLD growing in her stomach.
If people were meant to eat meat, there would be no need at all to cook it.
Oh come on, I know you are smarter than this. Right?
Humans evolved larger brains due to the discovery of fire, and the subsequent surplus of calories from being able to cook meat.
Yes, humans adapted. I'm talking about the human physiology, which is still naturally vegeterian.
Hmmm, so explain why i have canine teeth–to rip apart the flesh of what vegetable??
Humans are mammals. So we have vestiges that are similar to other mammals. Like a tail bone but not a tail. That's not unusual. Teeth can be used to attack and defense, too.
Incorrect. Humans are classic omnivores, well adapted to eat a wide variety of foods, animal and otherwise.
Humans are omnivores, like a large range of mammals including dogs, bears, apes. Unlike animals we can make the choice to be vegetarian. That's a preference or belief (or in poor countries, sometimes a necessity), not a biological or physiological requirement. Far more unnatural is a the vast amount of sugar consumed by Americans.
I agree on the omnivore part. My argument is that humans lean more toward the herbivore side. It's more healthy for humans to eat vegetables, less healthy with meat. The problem is that the American diet is heavy on the meat and sparse on the veggies.
This is another reason why you slow cook pork for HOURS. I mean, why eat it any other way?
That's why Muslims and Jews don't eat it.
Because they're impatient?
LOL!!!
Everyone knows pork is contaminated.. Its a given..
I have been told my whole life to never undercook pork.. And be very careful of cross contamination of raw pork onto other surfaces..
So why is this news?
It's news because contamination has increased greatly in the last few years.
We used to be told not to under-cook pork because of tapeworms. Cross contamination/bacteria is a different issue, caused by raising pigs in confined, dirty environments where they live in their own excrement. Pigs are actually quite clean when allowed to be–free range pork is very common in Europe, much less so in the US, because it drives up the price.
It is time for pork producers to stop treating humans like animals that will eat any crap that is put in front of them. If a human will not eat it, don't give it to a hog. Give us healthy i.e. no medications, no additives like even salt, product that we can feel safe and comfortable eating. Until then, I hope that pork sales go way down to show that we as citizens of the US will not tolerate medication filled food at our stores and on our tables. Enough is enough.
WRONG!! Our bodies are required to eat animal protein.We NEED meat.It's just that vegeterian A-Holes are starving themsleves of insential vitems and are too weak to make rational thaughts.
BLT. A gift from our Great lord above.
"insential vitems" ? I eat meat, but I'm pretty sure most vegetarians have the brain cells to spell better than that.
People are naturally vegetarian.
WRONG!! Our bodies are required to eat animal protein.We NEED meat.It's just that vegeterian A-Holes are starving themsleves of insential vitems and are too weak to make rational thaughts._
you may need meat...and a dictionary
Nah.
Right, that's why we have fangs. To rip lettuce apart....
Exactly. If we were supposed to eat only vegetables, we would not have Canines. Thank you.
Darwin Award winner above!
kinda wish you truly "understood" what the Darwin Award really was...
Maybe he meant someone would die if...they ate..a carrot or something. I don't know lol
Right...that's why there are so many Vegan Products on the market that are made to look and (supposedly) taste like Meat. When was the last time you saw a Bratwurst on the grocery store shelf that said "Tastes just like Tofu and Broccoli". I'd be willing to bet "Never"...so pipe down Hippie...the grown ups are talking here.
"pipe down, Hippie"??? HHHHHHhaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
I will never understand why if vegans hate meat so much, they are constantly purchasing and eating products that resemble meat; Tofurkey is a prime example of the absurdity and hypocrisy of the vegan lifestyle.
I forgot to mention the Tofu Pups; tofu hotdogs. Vegans are nuts.
Try to gnaw on a piece of raw meat day in day out. If you feel no ill effects whatsoever, then yes, people are natural meat eaters.
Tell you how dumb you are....ever try to eat an uncooked bean...you wouldn't have any teeth left.
Being vegetarian doesn't mean you can naturally eat any plants. Even plant eating animals either prefer or can only eat certain plants.
Actually, raw beef is quite good and doesn't harm anyone. In fact, like fish, some species are excellent raw, others have inherent parasites or bacteria which could be harmful to humans. Likewise, some plants are harmful, others are fine. some need cooking, some don't.
When was the last time you actually looked at your teeth in the mirror? They are called "canines" for a reason.
Incorrect. We're naturally omnivores. In fact, our inability to derive complete proteins from vegetables while easily doing so from meat makes it clear that a varied diet is essential.
Awww,that little piggie is SOOOOO CUTE!!!!
every time I see a little pink piggie,All I think about is taking him/her,and slicing all his meat off,and making some slices of Virginia Ham,and eating that with some turkey!! Mmmmmmm!! Yumm Yumm!!
Little piggies are like little sandwitches to me,I want to EAT THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Least you won't be around as long as the rest of us, fattie!
Yeah, because meat eating body builders are SO fat, aren't they? Idiot.
I smell bacon I smell pork, run little piggie I got a fork! (I actually don't eat much pork, but occasionally if it's well cooked it's OK)
This is what meat eaters deserve. Given the inherent cruelty to animal slaughter, I hope this rate goes much higher, along with hopes for more fatalities. Anything other than a purely organic, vegan diet is barbaric.
I work in a hog farm and I am going to beat the crap out of a pig with a metal rod tomorrow just to make you mad.
Bill,REading that comment is going to make my turkey and ham and cheese sandwitch i'm gonna eat tomorrow even more delicious(and it will be really delicious to begin with!!)
I buy ONLY Boars Head cold cuts.Do you approve of the quality of Boars HEad?
Good thing you only needed to graduate from 3rd grade to work at a hog farm eh Bill? We all know the pig would outwit poor little Billy on any aptitude test. Nobody is mad at you Billy-boy, we just feel sorry for you and the sad upbringing you must have endured. Pity.
Agree 100% Billy-Bob is one deranged boy. His parents (Dad and his Aunt) must be so proud!
You can't fool anyone Billy boy, we know you beat your meat harder than any other pig has and ever will exist. Lonely guys like you must take your unfortunate sexual aggression out on something, why not the helpless animals at your disposal? Glad to know your lineage dies with you once you leave this earth, because I know for a fact no woman is desperate/retarded enough to let you inside her. Take care.
Will Rogers never met you did he? I am sure you are on a sex offender list somewhere...PERV!
You know it's not legal for you to live near a school. Quit sneaking into your kids room at night. I would be more than happy to castrate you so you don't have to spank off 50 times a day anymore. Poor fella'
this is actually a funny comment. and it would be better to get away from corporate farming and commercialization and exploitation of any species and back to basics
Poor pig is dying...bloody on the floor screaming in pain. Really folks, do you believe me? The comments on this forum are interesting to say the least. Pigs do not eat their poop, but your dog does and then you let it lick you in the mouth! Pigs poop as far away from where they eat and sleep as they can. They taste great! I could care less what the Jews or muslims think about pork (or anything else for the matter). Anyone that says pigs are gross, nasty, un-clean etc, does not have the first clue what they are talking about. I think your brain has a charlie horse! More people died eating contaminated bean sprouts last year than from eating pork!
Vegann your an idiot. Actually more people die from contaminated vegetables and fruit than from meat. But I won't wish death on vegans as you do on meat eaters. Some fools in this world think more of animals than humans. Think of how many would die or become sick from lack of protein if their was no meat. Their is not enough vegan food to feed the world. Idiot vegans.
*sigh*
Your comment actually shows how much of an idiot YOU are, not Vegann. To think that people would die or become sick as a lack of protein in their diet due to absence of meat show you know nothing about general and basic nutirion. You have been successfully brainwashed to think you can only get protein from meats, and you are also addicted to your animal proteins, which is why you act like a drug addict in denial when called a bad name by a stranger. More people die from a diet comprised of meats, dairy, eggs, etc. than they do of contaminated veggies...Cancer, Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes...you don't get those from a vegan lifestyle just FYI. Think before you speak and make sure you are smarter than the person that you are attempting to call an "idiot"...idiot.
Sincerely,
The guy smarter than you but you wouldn't know it because we'd never get to exchange pleasantries.
@Vegann: What a warped and cruel thing to say "Given the inherent cruelty to animal slaughter, I hope this rate goes much higher, along with hopes for more fatalities." You are no better than anybody else. Who gives you the right to wish death on other human beings just because their lifestyle differs from yours? Just keep in mind that Humans aren't the only creature to hunt other animals for food.
Vegann, you are either a troll or very immature. To wish fatality on others because they don't share your beliefs is no different than the people who condone religious war.
This is a non-issue, anyway: if you COOK the meat, then the bacteria are killed. End of problem. The real issue is the overuse of antibiotics and hormones in the meat industry.
There you go, violently abusing those poor defensless bactiria.
Contaminated vegetables kill people too. How often do you hear meat eaters saying "those Neanderthal vegetarians had it coming" ? Please keep your smugness in your neighborhood Apple store. BTW: Apple is rapidly losing global market share in both tablets and smartphones... you should start reining in your smugness now. Watch the latest Samsung fanboy ad... see how you sound to normal people...
I love the fanboy ads (god I hate smug apple fans)... and looked at the Galaxy phone, but it looks just like iPhone... both screens look like bug-splattered windshields... much as I hate Microsoft, the new Nokia phone seems perfect... looks like Mondrian Art! I'm going to get a yellow one if Nokia hurries up and restocks them.
So do you live in a house? Wear any clothes? Use any products that contain glue? Sounds like you're just as barbaric and a hypocrite as well
I don't push my believes on others, so keep your crunchy dirt-eating ways to yourself.
Obvious troll is obvious.
A lot of little animals died for your veggies; under the combine, and the soil that grows them is littered with animal feces, for miles around. It fertilizes them. That's SO vegan, isn't it? I dare you to walk up to a native American and tell them you think they should go vegan. Dumb, rich, and white, is usually the vegan way, isn't it? It might be harsh, but it's the truth.
I guess that explains the salmonella and E. coli outbreaks on lettuce, spinach and cantaloupes – diving retribution deserved by vegans.
I wish CNN would learn that the word "bacteria" is not singular. The singular form is "bacterium."
Try contributing something to the TOPIC at hand and quit being a Grammar Nazi!
When faced with the "professionals" who are "trained experts" in the English language being unable to avoid simple mistakes that could be picked up by my 12 year old or a simple proof-reading, it is constructive (and instructive).
When the "pros" can't get the basics correct, one is correct to question everything else they offer their take on.
It's a reasonable comment. Without correct language we might as well grunt and try to understand each other that way. Lighten up.
Why did you capitalize hate and grammar?
where there is one there is another, bacterium will not show up in a singular form as there will be multiple present. its not like one single bacterium contaminates the food but rather a large population. thus the usage of the plural word; bacteria.
In fact, had they only found single bacterium in samples, their would be no story. The human body is equipped to deal with small numbers of bacteria and would likely not have any ill effects from even the most harmful bacteria(um).
I doubt they found one little germ anywhere, they found numerous, so bacteria is correct.
Instead of trying to figure out what drugs to use on these poor animials. Lets start with stop cramming them in crates where they can't turn around or move. Get the farms to clean up their act. The pigs never leave their crate their entire life and never see the natural daylight (the sun!) These poor animals never get medical treatment for infections, or any health issues. Now your surprised the meat is tainted when the animal is living in a small crate and living in their own filth. Anything to save a $1.00. The government should stop the unethical treatment of farm animals by closing these farms that keep the livestock living in filth. The government is to blame by looking the other way. That is the true problem. Or just giving them a slap on the hand. CLOSE THESE PLACES DOWN BEFORE THEY KILL THE PUBLIC!
Isn't this THE reason we cook food? Since antiquity. (Not that I am condoning the high count....but still one of the very earliest uses (Paleolithic era) of fire helped humans survive in a dirty world.)
If people were meant to eat meat, there would be no need at all to cook it.
If people weren't meant to eat meat, I wouldn't have invented fire, silly human.
-gawwwwwd
Let us prey....
-gawwwwwd
At one time human ancestors did not heat meat to eat it. Our stomachs have evolved and adapted to cooked meats and can no longer sustain uncooked meats as well. BTW, humans can eat uncooked meat... Just sayin'.
True, humans have evolved and/or adapted to the point where we can consume SOME meat (mostly after it's cooked so that it's more digestible). But the best food staple for humans is still fruit and vegetables, as any dietician will tell you.
And scientists and doctors will tell you that a diet high in animal protein put people more at risk for various diseases, such as vascular diseases and cancer. You will not find many (if any) that say the same for fruit and vegetables. Quite the opposite.
Your argument about cooking being exclusive to making edible meat –> thus meat is not meant to be consumed, is unfounded. Plenty of vegetables and grains need to be cooked or prepared from their raw state in order to be edible. Tomatoes, when cooked, yield more lycopene that can be absorbed by humans. Since antiquity, soy and wheat (esp. wheat; soaking allows neutralization of phytates and enzymatic inhibitors) were soaked to make them more edible and digestible, and even nowadays are cooked by 99% of people that eat them. Most people eat cooked vegetables because they are easier to digest..and helps kill off any contaminants, the same reasons for cooking meat. Sure, in most cases, you lose some nutritional value, but 80% is better than 0% from avoiding the food altogether. In others, like soy and wheat, you gain value.
Apparently, then, all of Polynesia and its dependence on poi is also unnatural.
I'd be more worried about using additives that are considered too hazardous for CHINA.
I have a solution – shoot two or three deer a year and fish with your family and keep them and buy your vegetables at the farm stand direct from the farmer and tell the screwed up food system in this country to keep their CAFO produced corn syrup laden junk to themselves. You will be healthier and feel better about yourself too. We had salmon cakes and venison black bean chili for dinner. My son and I caught the salmon, I shot and butchered the deer , the onions , bell pepper and celery were grown a few miles away by a farmer I know and everything was delicious.
Learn some math with respect to the demand for meat. Just the population of the US is 311 million. Even at just 1 deer per person per year, there are not 311 million dear available for everyone's chili, neither are there enough fish in the wild if every single person fished. Wake up and smell the slaughter and it's UNsustainability.
Actually, while trichinosis has been effectively eliminated from the US swine herd, it is still a very real risk in the US deer population.
Notice the wonderful photo of the 'farm' where the poor animals are factory produced? These animals never see the light of day. Their skin is too sensitive-thank you selective breeding techniques. It's unnatural what happens to animals in these horrible places. If you eat pork and get sick, sorry about that, it's bad. Clean up these factories and force them to use more humane practices may lead to healthier products.
If it ain't kosher pork it ain't safe pork.
Is there such a thing as kosher pork? I don't think so. The bible tells us not to even touch a pig (Lev 11:7)
Only the Jewish people were instructed to not eat pork so as to separate them from their neighbors. In the New Testament, food was no longer a marker for those who follow God.
Why would God make bacon and then forbid it? I think someone made a mistake somewhere along the way.
why would he make fruit and forbid it? According to the Adam and Eve scenario he did that
Good point. And the same logic reveals the reason for all the overpopulation in the world; plenty of meat for everyone. If you are poor, no need for food stamps, just off the neighbors!
The bible has all sorts of bizarre dietary restrictions. Because a fraction of them more or less randomly coincide with modern sanitation understanding is meaningless. The prohibition on pork, for example, isn't a prohibition exclusively on pork; it's a prohibition on anything without cloven hooves that don't chew their cud: pigs, deer, elk, camels, rabbits...
Several years ago, my sister bought a cooked ham from Cracker Barrell. Since the ham was pre-cooked, all she did was heat it up good. I made the terrible mistake of eating some of this ham. I ended up in the Emergency Room, with food poisoning. It was the sickiest I have ever been, and the closest I have ever come to dying. I no longer eat ham, and stay away from pork products. Uncooked pork, will kill you in a heart beat.
Problem located...it's in the first sentence.
Ham is cured; it is a very inhospitable place for bacteria to live. It is far more likely that whatever made you sick came from your sister's kitchen or preparation and storage techniques.
Actually, most pork (ham is the exception) is getting too lean for me. Too lean, too dry. I've probably cut my consumption of pork by 70% or more because of this.
Get a big, bone-in cut of pork butt or shoulder. That cut will not be lean at all.
That's a real problem. If you want high-quality pork, you really have to buy heritage breeds that still have a good proportion of fat on them, and they're not cheap.
Who'da thought the story would end like this...the big bad wolf on the endangered species list and the three little pigs on the menu.
I'm going to roast a whole pig. Yes. You're invited.
So my question is this, since pork has likely been sold for ages now with this large a percentage of contamination, how come we don't hear of a lot more people getting sick? There should be a lot of sick pork eaters out there. Could it be that people have developed a stronger immune system due to exposure to these bugs? If so, then this should be a good thing then.
Well, if you cook pork well ... are those things destroyed?
You assume that all people cook their meals properly. Some people like their meat pretty rare.
Not pork. No one eats pork rare...
I like mine a bit pink, not rare.
pork is just the whipping boy for the week next week it will be some other meat product. Funny that the eatocracy are not reporting on the Natural peanut butter plant that was shut down by the FDA
Jews and Muslims have the same idea. Don't eat this stuff
More pork for me, Sam. Just cook it well.
Consider irradiation. When done properly it will reduce the bacteria count to zero regardless of how sloppy your butchering and packaging procedures might be.
That's true. Irradiation would solve many problems, and is only unused because the public is ignorant of its benefits.
There are some downsides. If radioactive materials are used for the radiation source, these would be sloppily controlled, finding their way along with surplus equipment into metal scrapyards, landfills and recycled metals. Also, rather than using irradiation as a fail-safe mechanism, meat packers would come to depend on the invincibility of irradiation for stabilizing the food, and would become sloppy in other ways related to food safety.
For example we may start seeing new problems such as previously-infected foods which will contain dangerous amounts of botulism toxins, and yet no living botulism organisms. We may see an increase in prion diseases because some ignoramus at a slaughterhouse imagined that radiation would kill prions – which it won't, because prions aren't alive to begin with. (They are just very dangerous proteins.)
Food packagers and distributors will start lengthening the "shelf life" of foods which have been irradiated, because they can. That development will have the unintended but inevitable consequent of many foods on the shelf being ultimately less fresh than they had tended to be prior to the implementation of irradiation.
It's like Washington apples – they all get drenched in with an enzyme which prevents them from going yellow. That allows the apples to be crated in the warehouse for months, while also destroying much of the apples' nutritional value, and negatively affecting their taste.
So unfortunately, the speed at which food goes bad is one very important pressure toward reducing the time food spends in the warehouses or on shelves, and it is a pressure which thereby brings us fresher food. Similarly, but tragically, food safety enforcement is more reactive than proactive. It seems that people actually have to get sickened before hygiene problems in the food chain can be tracked down and corrected.
I guess what I am saying is, I doubt that irradiation could be implemented correctly – not because irradiation itself is bad, but because a sufficient number of people in the food production & distribution industries are ignorant idiots, driven by laziness and greed.
*slow clap*
pigs eat their own 'waste' &' humans' etc
bu,,bu..but won't that make Californian's glow green in the dark??????? I mean isn't that the same as force-feeding them with Polnium-210???????
100% of the air you breath has germs.
But they aren't all antibiotic resistant pathogens caused by overuse of antibiotics, like the ones in this report.
This report, or synopsis of it, doesn't say that "all" of the bacteria that were found were "antibiotic resistant pathogens", either. Nice misdirection, though.
No cause for concern, fellow Americans; our next pork barrel bill is already addressing this issue.
"An analysis in the January 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine revealed 69% of pork chops and ground pork that the organization sampled from around the U.S. tested positive for Yersinia enterocolitica"
And apparently, this isn't much of a problem, given that it has likely always been that way and people aren't dropping like flies.
Adding this to my list of things not important enough to worry about.
Did a quick Google search for another common meat product. Most of these same bacteria occur regularly in the "original white meat"...Chicken. Perhaps this is why we learned early on that we are supposed to "cook" these foods before we eat them. Unless I have completely missed something, this looks like a non issue.
If you don't cook your pork/beef/chicken/game properly, you deserve what you get. Always been this way, always will be this way. Beef and chicken are no cleaner, or dirtier.
And also if you don't clean or cook your spinach well, this is what could happen! Don't forget that in the ecoli outbreak of 2006 spinach of all things was also infected. Apparently, it's not eating only meat that causes these things so none of us can be self righteous about it i guess.
I remember a spinach salad I had while traveling through California in 2006. Is was organic. I was so sick that I will not eat spinach or any other organically grown vegetables. I'll have the pork and Ill skip most of the rabbit food. When I changed my diet to meat and cooked vegetables my weight went ideal and my blood work looks better than it ever did. (I gave up on the vegetable cults.)
I wish articles like this would address the cost/benefit ratio of improving this. If it's going to make the cost of pork much higher, it's probably not worth it when proper cooking will kill it anyway and the bacteria isn't life threatening to most.
Scotty – I evented a cheap process for dealing with this problem.
I call it "cooking".
Good one.
Your point is excellent, but it isn't simple. Where did the contamination originate? Was it at slaughter? Was it at initial fabrication? Or, did it perhaps occur right there in the back room of those stores where all of the meat is still cut and trayed 'in house'?
I once saw a 'butcher' sawing pork chops like crazy on the store's bandsaw – they had a special going. A woman walks up, picks out a whole chicken, and asks the guy if he will cut it in half for her. He takes the bird, walks back to the saw where he's cutting pork chops, saws the bird in half, wraps it and brings it back out to the woman, and then goes right back to sawing pork chops on the same saw – no clean-up of any kind between handling the different meats – an absolute no-no.
If you want to avoid the bacteria don't eat them. They are smarter than dogs and just as caring. The whole world is going bacon crazy while these poor animals are tortured on factory farms. At least give them a decent clean life before you slaughter them.
I can somewhat understand treating dogs and cats like people, but pigs?
Pigs are as trainable as dogs and are at the same level of intelligence. They definitely should be treated better before we eat them.
http://animal.discovery.com/tv/a-list/creature-countdowns/smartest/smartest-06.html
THey ARE treated well. You may not like it but to a hog living in mud with a steady supply of pig food is as good as it gets.
Cats and dogs taste good too.
AS a practicing vegan, I have to agree with you 100%.the conditions these intelligent sentient animals are raised in are horrific,cruel and all for what? humans don't need to eat animals,we choose to.And I choose NOt to.
Q: How many vegans does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Two, one to change it and one to check for animal ingredients.
Being a vegan myself since 1999, I do check the ingredients. And guess what, everybody should be reading the ingredients for food they buy, there's a lot of crap in the "food" that North Americans eat...
As for pork and bacons, it's a real shame that people don't have empathy. The current CNN headline is that someone (or more) is going around slaughtering dolphins off the Gulf Coast. This all stems from a lack of respect for animals. Blame it on this fast food culture we live in that teaches kids that animals are disposable.
The end does not justify the means.
I'm betting you are one of those heartless wenches who murder poor little baby carrots and spinach before they even have a chance to grow up.
I'm happy that you're vegan but veganism is not the solution to all health problems.Some vegetables, like spinac,h have also been contaminated with ecoli before so it's not only meat eaters who are exposed to these risks. And personally, i'd prefer to eat a whole foods diet with very little fish and some chicken for variety rather than becoming a vegan and having to take vitamin b12 supplements . idk but i don't think a lifestyle choice where i have to get my nutrients from supplements is healthy. japanese people have a high life expectancy but most of them eat some animal protein so...
I dont CARE!!!!! If they are suffering or whatever!! I CRAVE meat,and their meat is delicious,I WANNA eat them!!! I dont care if they are tourchered,or whatevessss
I want to kill some Jews and Slavs and gypsies! I haaaaate them and I want the gold from their teeth! and i want t a newsofa fromtheir skin!,I don't care if they suffer or are tortured or whateveerrrr!
i can't even imagine reason working on such a being.
Pigs get fat Hogs get slaughtered
Pigs don't have to get slaughtered. It's horrible what's going on and you just stick your head in the ground like the proverbial ostrich and ignore the mass slaughter of animals just so you can satisfy your taste buds regardless of the damage that it's doing to the environment, and on a personal level, to your arteries.
Outrider – your comment is ignoring two key points. One, while it's true high temperature cooking kills bacteria, there is no guarantee that all portions of the meat attain that temperature. As such, some of that bacteria can be left over and make people sick even if they cook it per proper guidelines and use a meat thermometer. So the takeaway here is that given the choice between pork with harmful bacteria and pork without, why would you be OK with the pork that contains it? Clearly 23% of the pork from the producers was able to be bacteria free so it's not out of the realm of impossibility. The reason why the others have the bacteria should be looked into, which leads to the second point, the industry group representing pork disputes anything that might make their industry look bad or result in costly improvements. That's the real problem, industry groups that wield political influence ignore and belittle studies from groups like consumer reports simply because they make them look bad instead of taking them back to the members of their groups and developing solutions. No one is calling for their pork to be microbe free, just free from harmful bacteria. Clearly medicating our livestock is NOT the answer. The frightening inability of people to draw logical conclusions is astounding. I understand the pork industry's motivations but not the motivations of you.
"while it's true high temperature cooking kills bacteria, there is no guarantee that all portions of the meat attain that temperature"
Actually, this is really, really easy to guarantee, using this thing called a "thermometer". There are scores of thermometers on the market, in fact, designed specifically for measuring the internal temperature of meat, both while it is cooking and at any other time, too. Forget about the safety reasons for using them; more importantly, you'll guarantee that you're cooking your meat correctly, to the proper stage of doneness, instead of reducing it to shoe leather through overcooking or possibly not getting quite what you expected by undercooking.
And, someone who cannot read is posting online. Go figure. LOL
The point that MG was trying to make is still valid.
A thermometer will provide you with a reading for the portion of the meat touching the thermometer. A normal meat thermometer does not give you an average reading for the entire roast.
Then there is the situation where you take a sharp spike (the thermometer probe) and pierce into the surface of the cooking meat. If there are any contaminants on the surface then you just introduced those contaminants into the meat. If there are any contaminants inside the meat then you just introduced them to the outside of the meat.
Some people also like to eat food that is tender and cooking meat until it is well-done through and through is not the way to do that. No, I won't eat pork sushi – not that I have ever seen it served – but 140 degF is a good internal temperature for nicely cooked and tender pork. Will 140 degF kill the pathogens? I don't know. But if it comes down to eating stepping stones that used to be pork or not eating pork then I'll do without.
That's why you measure the temperature in the CENTER of the piece of meat, which heats more slowly than the rest of the piece. When it reaches temperature, you are essentially assured that the entire mass reached at least that temperature.
And, no, 140F isn't sufficient to kill all the pathogens.
I find it hilarious that Piggly Wiggly is not on the list :)
Heavens and mercy! One question, what happens when you cook the pork at a very high temperature? Turns out you kill all the nasty little bugs. If we didn't, people would be dropping left and right from these nasty little bacteria. So is this report misleading. Absolutely. You can't and shouldn't make everything in the human world sterile. It encourages super killer bacteria. Might want to think about that before you swear off Mcribs for the rest of your life.
I never understood why people say 'pigs are the cleanest animals!'.
Sure, they don't sweat, but they still roll around in their own excrement all. day. long. It's their third favorite thing to do, behind eating and pooping. They're nasty inside and out. The insides just happen to be so tasty...
Pigs are clean given the opportunity but when you raise them in trapped in crap what do you expect?
Why raise them in a way counter to their happiness (I know, ironic on an article about factory farming)? Sure, you might like keeping them clean, but they sure do like getting dirty. You either have to keep them cool with air conditioning or make sure they have mud to roll in (since they can't sweat, that's how they cool down). It's in their very nature to be dirty.
WWWEEEEEEEEE!! WWWEEEEE-W-W-W-WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
LOL
You're one sick individual. Grow some empathy for the animals you're slaughtering.
I'd really love to see how you do living in a small enclosure living in your own filth.
The end does not justify the means.
Hey, you should see my apartment, you'd have some empathy for me!
LOL
Maybe McHammerpants was quoting the TV commercial with the annoying piggy-kid in the back seat. Are you snowed-in and getting cabin fever already Winnipeg? Maybe you should take a Florida vacation. Canadians have all the money now... we could use the help.
Bingo
Do not worry about me, because obviously, I'm JUST A FRIGGIN PIG.
Get over yourself.