8/7/2019 Ground Beef Fact Sheet

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From burgers to burritos, ground beef is astaple served up everywhere from fast foodrestaurants to school cafeterias to homesaround the country. But with outbreaks offoodborne illness caused by ground beefmaking headlines in the past few years— and with some states banning restaurants fromserving rare hamburgers—many consumers arequestioning the safety of the meat. What arethe dangers of ground beef, and how can youknow it is safe to eat?

I gr nd b f m r dang r hanh r m a ?

Bacteria are everywhere in our environmentand may be present on food products atpurchase—for example, the surface of cuts of

meat like chicken breasts, roasts or steaks often contain bacteriafrom the animals they came from, the processing equipment, or fromthe environment. Some of these bacteria are harmful and can causeillness when consumed, but bacteria on the surface of foods can beeasily killed during cooking. However, when beef is ground, bacteriafrom its surface are mixed throughout the meat as it is chopped intotiny pieces. That means ground beef—and all other ground meats, likeground chicken, turkey, pork or lamb, which are processed the sameway—must be cooked all the way through in order to kill the bacteria.

Wi fr zing gr nd b f ki h bac ria?No. Freezing can kill some bacteria, but others can survive bothrefrigerator and freezer temperatures.

H w can y b r ha gr nd b f i af a ?Harmful bacteria may or may not be present in ground meat products— there is no way of knowing for sure. Proper cooking is the only reliablemethod of ensuring that ground meats are safe to eat. According to theU. S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service,ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least

160ºF to kill bacteria. Thorough cooking is especially important if thefood is going to be served to children, the elderly, or other people whomay be more susceptible to foodborne illnesses.

How to Make Sure the Ground Beef You Serve Is Saf

E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, andSalmonella are illness-causing

bacteria that can be found in ground

beef. To keep bacteria levels low,

refrigerate meat at temperatures

below 40ºF or freeze it.

Wha yp f bac ria ar f nd in gr nd b f?E. coli are commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-bloodedorganisms.E. coli O157:H7 is a particularly harmful strain that produces largequantities of a potent toxin that can damage the intestine.Salmonella are found in the intestinal tracts of animals and in theenvironment. Ingesting food contaminated with Salmonella can causefood-borne illness.

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8/7/2019 Ground Beef Fact Sheet

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Cooking Tips for Safe Ground Beef

Why I I saf r ea a Rar s ak han a Rar Hamb rg r?

Because ground beef can turn brown before disease-causing bacteriaare killed, color is not a reliable indicator of the temperature ofthe meat. Use a meat thermometer to check the ground beef hasreached the target temperature.

► C k n i a h rm m r in r d in h hick par f hpa y, m a af, r h r gr nd b f di h r ad a a 160ºF.

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When a steak is seared, the bacteria on its surface are killed. Because theinterior of the beef is sealed away from contact with bacteria in the air,environment, or cooking equipment, harmful bacteria should not be presentin the center. That means that even though the center of the meat remainsrare, it is probably safe to eat.

A hamburger, on the other hand, contains meat that has been ground. Anybacteria on the meat used to make the hamburger are mixed throughoutthe patty during processing. Unless the burger is cooked to at least 160ºFthroughout, it can still contain illness-causing bacteria.

Why i i af r a a rar ak han a rar hamb rg r?

This fact sheet is based on the National Research Council report An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program (2010). The report was sponsored by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established food safety standards for the ground beef it purchases for the NationalSchool Lunch Program, food banks, and other federal food and nutrition programs. This National Research Council repor treviews the scienti c basis for these standards, nding that although basing the safety speci cations on scienti c conceptswould strengthen the purchase requirements, proper cooking is the key to ensuring that ground beef is safe to eat.

The National Research Council provides a public service by working outside the framework of government to ensureindependent advice on matters of science, technology, and medicine. It enlists committees of the nation’s top scientists,engineers, and other experts, all of whom volunteer their time to study speci c concerns. The results of these deliberationsare authoritative, peer-reviewed reports that have inspired some of the nation’s most signi cant efforts to improve the health,education, and welfare of the population.

For more information, contact the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources at (202) 334-3062 or visit http://dels.nas.edu/banr .