News Intelligence Analysis
This article was original published by the New York Times
December 31, 2003
EATING WELL
Warily Searching for Safer Beef
By MARIAN BURROS
The Department of Agriculture appears to have been successful
in convincing most Americans that one mad cow does not an epidemic
make. People are not deserting their fast-food hamburgers in
droves. Nor did many people planning standing rib roasts for
Christmas dinner substitute turkey.
"I think its obviously a serious thing, but right now it's pretty isolated," said Tom Laudate, a medical researcher from Brighton, Mass., of the discovery of a diseased cow in Washington state on Dec. 23. Though concerned, he was buying a frozen beef entree at a Star Market in Allston, Mass.
"I think it's hard to find out what to believe about it," Mr. Laudate continued, "because everyone involved seems to have a vested interest in their side."
But there are plenty of critics of the Agriculture Department who say that if there is one mad cow in this country, there are others. And people who believe that can shop accordingly.
The safest beef is from cattle that have been raised organically, because by law they cannot be fed animal byproducts, which, while banned from cattle feed since 1997, are believed to be the major source of mad cow disease. Organic beef is available by mail order, online and in some stores.
Beef that is labeled grass-fed, but not certified organic, would be a second choice. There are no regulations governing what can be called grass-fed, so it can be difficult to ascertain what the animal has eaten. Experts advise asking the butcher or supplier a few questions to assure the meat's safety.
• Has the animal's feed ever been supplemented with grain or with protein, which might include animal byproducts?
• Were the animals "finished" with any grain? In other words, were they fed grain to improve the flavor of the meat before slaughter?
• Were the calves weaned with a milk replacer? Milk replacer can contain cows' blood, which might spread the disease.
• Was the animal slaughtered and processed at the same place as conventional cattle? If so, what assurances are there that they are not contaminated?
One other note about grass-fed beef: because it does not have as much fatty marbling as grain-fed beef, it should be cooked for less time and at a lower temperature.
Kosher beef might be safer than nonkosher because the animals are killed by having their throats slit, rather than being struck or shot in the head, which can scatter brain tissue through the blood stream.
Kosher processors have never used "downers" — cows that cannot walk — a possible sign of mad cow disease. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman yesterday banned the use of downers for meat.
Rabbi Menachem Genack, head of the division that certifies products as kosher for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, said such differences "may be mitigating factors but we don't know for sure."
Rabbi Genack said the feed given kosher animals "is essentially the same" as that used for conventional cattle.
So far, it is unclear how the scare has affected sales of beef.
Nick Ottomanelli, who with his brother Joe owns Ottomanelli Brothers meat store on York Avenue in Manhattan, one of four Ottomanelli stores in New York, said sales of organic beef are up 10 percent since the day after Christmas. It already accounted for 20 percent of his total beef sales.
Neither Lobel Brothers Prime Meats on Madison Avenue, which has grass-fed beef, nor Fairway on Broadway, which carries organic meat, have noticed an uptick in orders. But some suppliers who sell on-line or over the phone said there has been an increase in interest.
Three supermarket chains, A.&P., Stop & Shop and Whole Foods, said that because of the holidays, it was too early to tell whether people are buying less conventionally raised beef. But some shoppers who were interviewed this week said they are opting for poultry and pork in place of beef.
Josette Belvedere, a 57-year old-lawyer who lives and works in Chicago, who was shopping at a Dominick's supermarket in Chicago, was among those who described themselves as concerned about beef.
"Before this," she said, "I ate it a couple of times a week: steaks, maybe a roast, tacos. It's only been a few days now, but already I find myself avoiding it somewhat. I will not discontinue eating beef altogether, but I'll be very cautious when I buy it."
On the other hand, Jim McKeen, a retired shoe clerk shopping at a Kroger market in Atlanta, said he doesn't buy much beef and doesn't plan to change.
"I occasionally buy red meat," he said. "I've heard about mad cow, yes ma'am, but I'm not really concerned. I figure it's so far away, it hasn't come near here yet."
For those who plan to stick with conventionally raised beef, it is best to select whole cuts of muscle meat like round roast and filet mignon.
Ground beef, whether it is to be made into hamburgers or is an ingredient in ready-made pizza toppings, meatballs, sausage, salami or bologna, raises greater concern. Commercial ground beef contains meat from many animals and some may have been processed in machines known as advanced meat-recovery systems. To get the last scraps of meat, they crush spinal columns and other bones, creating a slurry.
Before the bones go into the recovery machines, the spinal cord and other nerve tissue, the most likely source of mad-cow disease, are supposed to have been removed.
But in 2002 the Agriculture Department surveyed 34 processing plants and found that 35 percent of the meat that had gone through the machines contained spinal tissue.
The Agriculture Department has said that any beef that carries its seal is safe to eat. Critics of the government and of the industry are more cautious.
Making your own ground beef at home is safer than using packaged hamburger that may have been purchased in bulk. It is not difficult if you have a food processor or an attachment to a mixer like a Kitchen Aid. With a food processor, use the steel blade, but watch carefully so that you do not turn the beef into hamburger purée.
A hand grinder like your mother or grandmother used to use costs less than $30. (You can also spend more.) It clamps on to a table and has a crank shaft. These grinders are available in kitchen equipment stores like Broadway Panhandler in New York and Sur la Table stores across the country. Amazon.com sells meat grinders online, as do many other sources.
Another suggestion is to buy boneless beef in a supermarket with staff butchers, and have them grind it.
Katie Zezima in Massachusetts, Jo Napolitano in Chicago and Ariel Hart in Atlanta contributed reporting to this article.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
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