Stephen Hedges’ piece in the Chicago Tribune:Beef with E. coli slips through “loophole”

One federal inspector calls it the “E. coli loophole.” Another says, “Nobody would buy it if they knew.” The officials are referring to the little-discussed fact that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deemed it acceptable for meat companies to cook and sell meat on which E. coli, a bacteria that can sicken and even kill humans, is found during processing. The “E. coli loophole” affects millions of pounds of beef each year that test positive for the presence of E. coli O157:H7, a virulent strain of the bacteria.

The contaminated meat is not discarded, it is used, hopefully fully cooked, in products (hamburgers, burritos, pizza, etc) – many consumed by kids in the National School Lunch Program – boy, doesn’t that make sense.  Hamburger anyone?

Keep up on what is in your food around the country and what you can do about it at this site.

http://www.marlerblog.com/