A month from now, mechanically-tenderized beef will need to
be identified on labels.
Health Canada has finally made the move after years of
food-safety lobbying.
Mechanically-tenderized beef from the XL Foods Ltd. plant in
Alberta has been blamed for sickening Edmonton consumers last year.
XL Foods had to take on the largest beef recall in Canadian
history when its meat was found to be contaminated with harmful bacteria.
Mechanically tenderizing this type of meat shoves the
bacteria from the surface to the interior and if the steaks or roasts are not
cooked to 63 degrees C, the bacteria could cause food poisoning.
Some bacteria, such as E. coli 0157:H7 can be so potent that
people end up in hospital, they could suffer permanent kidney damage and some people
have died.
Given the risks, the Consumers Association of Canada says
mechanically-tendering steaks and roasts ought to be banned.
Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers' Association of
Canada, told reporters that the cooking requirements are too complicated for
most people and he wants mechanical tenderizing banned outright.
"What average Canadian having a beer and a steak is going
to measure the temperature of the meat?" Cran asked.
"This process has the potential to seriously sicken people
or cause fatalities," Cran is quoted by Canadian Press news service.
