• Recently, Tallgrass Beef Company received the following question from one of our customers regarding the safety of ground beef product. This customer had read an article in the New York Times about E. coli and ground beef. 
• QUESTION
• Good morning: I just read a very frightening article about the processing of ground beef products in the New York Times. My family enjoys your beef products, but after reading this article, I am concerned about how your hamburgers/ground beef are processed. Do you have your own processing facility? Do you test the beef before grinding for e coli contamination? Has Tall Grass ever had recall or had a claim filled against it for illness due to possible contamination of its beef products?
• I look forward to your reply.
• Suzanne 
• ANSWER (from Allen Williams, Tallgrass Beef Company)
• Good Morning Suzanne,
• I also read the same article and I can assure you that there is nothing to worry about with Tallgrass Beef. There are several reasons why you can feel very safe with our ground beef:
• 1. We do not use a large corporate owned processing plant, but rather a local family owned processing plant. Almost all of the recalls and issues come from the large corporate owned plants. Small, family run plants tend to be very clean and sanitary. Our plant is 100% USDA Inspected. 
• 2. Grass fed cattle are inherently free of the pathogenic forms of E. coli (0157:H7 is the pathogenic strain that causes the majority of the recalls and sickness). Because our cattle are not fed grain and are not confined to feedlots, they are clean, both inside and out. The majority of E. coli comes into processing plants on the dirty hides of grain fed feedlot cattle and in their gut. The pathogenic forms of E. coli are acid-resistant strains that cannot exist in the guts of grass fed cattle. Grain feeding changes the gut pH from a more neutral pH to an acidic pH. This is what allows the acid-resistant E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria to grow and thrive.
• 3. Our cattle are the very first cattle processed each day in the family owned plant we use. That means they are not mixed with any other cattle and the plant is completely clean and sanitary when our cattle are processed. There is no chance of cross-contamination between our cattle and other cattle. 
• 4. The plant we use is heavily inspected and routinely audited to assure safe, wholesome meat processing. They have passed, with very high marks, every audit ever conducted at the plant. They are also routinely audited for animal care and welfare, plus worker safety and welfare. 
• 5. Even with all of these safeguards and checks and balances, we do still test EVERY single batch of hamburger produced to be certain there is NO presence of any pathogenic bacteria or other pathogenic organisms. EVERY batch of our product comes with what is called a COA or Certificate of Analysis, guaranteeing that the meat is free of pathogens and perfectly safe to eat. 
• 6. We have NEVER had a recall of any of our products, nor has anyone ever filed a complaint of sickness. 
• 7. We have a complete traceback system in place that allows us to trace ever pound of beef that we produce back to  the processing plant, to the farm where it was born and raised, to the individual animal, and to the specific date of processing.
• 8. Finally, Tallgrass Beef is the ONLY beef that my family eats. We do not have any other beef products in our home and have not since the inception of Tallgrass Beef Company. I do have children at home and they eat no beef but Tallgrass beef. I actually like my hamburgers with pink in the middle and that is how I always prepare and eat my Tallgrass hamburgers. I have never had any issues with illness, nor has anyone in my family. We eat Tallgrass beef at least 4-5 days a week and have for years. My wife and I have excellent cholesterol and triglyceride levels, perfect blood pressure, and have never experienced illness due to the food we eat. 
• For further information on the safety and wholesomeness of grass fed beef, please check out the "Why It's Better" page on this site. There you will find detailed information related to the safety of grass fed beef, especially pertaining to E. coli and other pathogenic bacteria. 
• If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. We care greatly about our customers and do appreciate your concern and your inquiry.
• Allen Williams, PhD
  
  
  

(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 

###

For more information:
Dr. Allen Williams, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer
Tallgrass Beef Company, LLC
(662) 312-6826
[email protected]

(Sedan KS, and Lawrence, KS) – Tallgrass Beef, a market leader in branded grass-fed beef production, will use DNA TraceBack® from IdentiGEN to provide a reliable and accurate traceability system so that every cut of Tallgrass beef can be traced back to the family farm where the animals were raised.

IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack, which has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s certification as a “Process Verified Program” (PVP), is a product verification system providing meat companies with a process to manage food safety and quality assurance. Tallgrass Beef packages at the retail meat case will carry IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack seal, a guarantee to consumers that each cut came from Tallgrass’ pasture-based, humane production and processing system. 

Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless, winner of Bravo-TV’s Top Chef Masters, and owner and Executive Chef of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO restaurants in Chicago, is a long-time Tallgrass Beef customer. “My reputation and that of my restaurants is on the line, which is why I am thrilled that now every cut of Tallgrass beef that reaches my kitchen is traceable back to the animal of origin,” Bayless said.  “Adding DNA TraceBack is the ultimate reassurance for me and my customers.”

Tallgrass Beef is available on the West Coast in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. In the east, flagship customers include Fairway Markets in New York, Sunset Foods and Fox & Obel in Chicago, as well as Sendik’s Food Markets in Milwaukee.  

Kevin Kelly, meat manager at Sendik’s Markets had praise for the verification system. “From a food safety standpoint, DNA TraceBack is extremely valuable to my department,” he said. “For our customers, it provides 100 percent reassurance that this is a safe, wholesome product that is what it claims to be.”

Bill Kurtis, founder of Tallgrass Beef, commented on the additional proof of authenticity. “I started Tallgrass Beef with the idea of raising cattle the way they should be.  Including DNA TraceBack is the final step in the process.  It is our assurance that we stand behind every piece of meat, and every product claim we make,” Kurtis said.  “Anyone can talk the talk.  With DNA TraceBack, we are walking the walk.”

All Tallgrass Beef comes from cattle derived from special genetic stock, raised by producers who strictly adhere to humane practices and the highest standards of husbandry.   Tallgrass beef uses ultrasound technology to safely and humanely detect the right amount of marbling and muscle to produce the most tender, best-tasting beef, and it provides complete food chain traceability through IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack.   

The verification is welcomed by cattle ranchers as well. Allan Waddell, a rancher from Emelle, Alabama, said, “I am proud of my ranch and what I produce for Tallgrass Beef. That is why I believe DNA TraceBack is such a valuable tool.  What I like about it is that it relies on the unique DNA of every animal, which is nature’s bar code.” 

DNA TraceBack was developed in 1996 by a group of geneticists from Ireland’s Trinity College. The system is widely used by European retailers, including Tesco, Superquinn and Dunnes Stores, to verify product authenticity and country of origin as well as manage food safety.  The company now operates its North American headquarters in Lawrence, KS.

“There is a lot of marketing noise out there.  The DNA claim cuts through that noise, and provides the ultimate proof of product integrity.  Kudos to Tallgrass Beef for raising the bar," said IdentiGEN’s Vice President for Sales, Tim Riemenschneider.

IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack system is an approved USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). PVP designation signifies that the USDA has verified the IdentiGEN system as a consistently reliable program in which meat processors, meat producers, retailers and consumers can have confidence. There are currently 36 approved USDA Process Verified Programs. Additional information can be found at http://processverified.usda.gov/.

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About Tallgrass Beef 

Founded in 2005 by broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis, Tallgrass Beef Company is the industry leader in the production of grass-fed, grass-finished beef in the United States. After purchasing his 10,000 acre ranch near the town of Sedan, Kansas, Kurtis was compelled to find a sustainable method of raising cattle that was not only good for the environment, but also the animals themselves and the American food consumer. This was the genesis of Tallgrass Beef Company. Today Tallgrass Beef Company relies on a network of family farmers and ranchers across the United States that produce grass-fed, grass-finished cattle according to a strict set of protocols. These stringent standards ensure that food consumers are buying the safest, healthiest, most nutritious beef possible. Available online for consumer purchases, Tallgrass Beef is favored by consumers seeking a healthy, humane source of beef.  Additional information about Tallgrass can be found at http://www.tallgrassbeef.com

About IdentiGEN

IdentiGEN Ltd., with its North American subsidiary IdentiGEN, Inc., is a privately-held, venture-backed company, and a leading provider of DNA-based solutions to the agriculture and food industries. The company was founded as a spin-out from the Institute of Genetics, Trinity College, where the company’s core area of expertise -- genetic identification -- was developed and is now being deployed in a variety of ways to enhance consumer confidence in the safety and quality of food products. Through IdentiGEN’s DNA-based TraceBack® system, retailers, meat processors, producers and local governments, for the first time, have the tools to unequivocally trace the identity of meat back to its source. Additional information about IdentiGEN can be found at http://www.identigen.com.

For more information:

Tallgrass Beef:                                                  IdentiGEN/DNA TraceBack:

Allen Williams                                          Dave Juday

(877) 822-8283                                        202-251-6320

[email protected]                [email protected]

I saw Food, Inc. this afternoon and thought I’d review it for you. It’s Michael Pollan’s book, Omnivore’s Dilemma, brought to the screen. It was as explosive as the book, a bold indictment of factory farming and specifically the industrialization of the beef industry. They chose all the highpoints from the book. 

Pollan and Eric Schlosser play the primary roles as head bites, commenting about the process of raising beef in feedlots. There is an entire section of the benefits of grass—the grass-fed model. Pollan cites the study of changing from corn to grass within five days of slaughter as eliminating e coli 80%. The film also shows a young boy who got e coli from a hamburger, wasting away and then dying 12 days after his meal. Very strong. Joel Salatin is featured. He was also interviewed in the book by Pollan.

The last section is about Monsanto’s invention and patenting of a specific gene for soy beans and their practice of suing farmers who might get blow-over from the field next to them.Even tho they didn’t use the Monsanto seed, if the gene is found in ‘next year’s’ crop of soybeans, the farmer can be sued. Private investigators go into the fields. The farmer is arrested criminally. And Monsanto is making a big deal about a few farmers, making them examples. It’s enough to make you run for Governor just to stop the giant corporation.

To say it’s a strong film is an understatement. I cried at the end, knowing Tallgrass is one of the few alternatives trying to change the system. We’ve always had the wind at our backs in the form of timing. This proves it again. There was applause at the end. I say it was the sound of the revolution....the people’s backlash against an agricultural model that is tragically flawed.