I KNOW IT’S NOT IN GOOD TASTE to discuss feces (excrement) in your food, but it is a fact of life in the U.S.
Deborah Press, an attorney for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, tells CNN that USDA's current inspection policy isn't good enough because it only applies to fecal matter that's "visible" on the production line.
The article, headed Doctors' group warning about fecal matter in food1, 2, 3 opens with This product "may contain feces."
That's the label that one consumer rights advocacy group wants for the government to require meat distributors put on the food they send out to grocery stores.
According to an email from Arlene Mathes-Scharf of Kashrut.com, Kashrus agencies do not check bacteria levels. That is a USDA job.
All kosher meat is salted and soaked. The salting will kill bacteria.
Actually, some kosher meats are neither soaked nor salted; the purchaser is expected to kasher the meat.
While salting the meat may kill bacteria and the soaking may loosen and help remove any feces not seen by FDA inspectors, it still should be thoroughly cooked to prevent bacteria-related illness. Likewise, basic kitchen sanitation — washing hands, counter tops, and cutting tools (knives, cutting boards) is just good practice.
For all that, it IS disconcerting that consumers really don’t know what they are buying; the cleanliness of the meat is only skin deep.
Buying kosher may improve the chances of buying “clean” meat — at least beef will be free of “mad cow” disease.
While the doctors’ group pushing for an additional label on meat and poultry products has a problem with animal products on the dinner table, the group’s warning should give cooks pause to consider ways to mitigate the problem, e.g., soaking and salting and thoroughly cooking the meat.
Sources
1. https://www.fox4now.com/news/national/doctors-group-warning-about-fecal-matter-in-food
2. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/chicken-often-contains-fecal-bacteria-lawsuit-against-usda-claims/ar-BBW3sSH
3. https://www.drovers.com/article/activists-sue-usda-over-fecal-matter-meat
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