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A Diet of Grass Leads to Safer Ground Beef

(CHICAGO) – Could the ground beef in your refrigerator be harboring potentially deadly E. coli bacteria?
It’s a question more Americans are asking, since E. coli-caused illnesses have resulted in highly publicized meat recalls in recent years. Now the concern has ratcheted up with the publication of an in-depth report in the October 4, 2009 editions of the New York Times.
The report, by Michael Moss, notes that federal health officials estimate that tens of thousands of people each year are made sick by E. coli contamination, and chronicles the practices of industrial beef production that lead to the presence of this pathogen in ground beef. This summer alone, according to the report, contamination led to recalls of beef from almost 3,000 grocers in 41 states.
“The majority of E. coli comes into meat processing plants on the hides of grain-fed feedlot cattle and in their guts,” said Allen Williams, Ph.D., the chief operating officer of Tallgrass Beef Company, who is considered the nation’s foremost authority on the production of grass-fed beef. “That is why an individual processing plant’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan and overall cleanliness is so very important.”
Most beef cattle in the United States are fattened on grain in feedlots, and are subject to the dust and mud inherent to that system of production, Williams said. The corn and other grains with which are they are fed can cause a change in the pH of their stomachs, making them more acidic and creating conditions that are favorable to the growth of acid- resistant strains of bacteria, such as E. coli 0157:H7.
Cattle that are raised entirely on forages and roughages are inherently low risk for harboring high levels of pathogenic forms of E. coli, said Williams, a former professor who is the author of over 100 peer reviewed articles and abstracts, as well as several popular press articles on animal husbandry and beef production.
The New York Times reported that many pre-made hamburger patties incorporate meat, fat and by-products from numerous sources, so that when a consumer becomes sick from E. coli, the source of the contaminated beef can be difficult to trace.
In contrast, Tallgrass Beef employs a system which enables it to trace every pound of beef back to the processing plant, to the farm where the animal was born and raised, to the individual animal, and to the specific date of processing. Tallgrass Beef does not use multiple sources of product for its ground beef and instead uses only product from animals raised within the Tallgrass American Family Farm and Ranch network.
Much of the Times report was given to descriptions of how meat is inspected and tested for contamination. Examples were cited of meat companies which do not follow their own safety procedures. In some cases workers have walked off the job because they were not given time to take safety precautions.
“Production of beef can be clean and safe,” Williams said.
“At Tallgrass, for example, we use a processing plant in which our cattle are not mixed with any other cattle. The plant is heavily inspected and routinely audited to assure safe, wholesome processing. This plant is also audited for animal care and welfare, as well as worker safety and welfare. The plant has received high marks in every audit that has been conducted.”
Even with all the safeguards in place, Tallgrass tests every batch of hamburger and distributes each batch with a Certificate of Analysis guaranteeing that meat is free of pathogens and safe to eat.
“The result is that Tallgrass has never had a recall of any of our products, and never received a complaint of illness,” Williams said.
Tallgrass Beef Company, LLC, with headquarters in Chicago and cattle ranches and production facilities in Sedan, Kansas, provides 100% grass-fed beef to wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and directly to consumers. www.tallgrassbeef.com
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For more information:
Dr. Allen Williams, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer
Tallgrass Beef Company, LLC
(662) 312-6826
[email protected]
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Tallgrass Beef

A Diet of Grass Leads to Safer Ground Beef

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