Ensuring beef safety through consumer education

Publication date: 18/05/2017
Extent: 14 pages

Contributions by: Janet M. Riley, North American Meat Institute, USA

Chapter synopsis: For food safety in the US beef industry, 1993 was a watershed year because of the large outbreak of food-borne illnesses that were linked to ground beef. More than two decades later, microbial issues persist as areas of concern. While the industry has made great strides in reducing bacteria on raw beef products impacting consumer, safe beef handling behaviours remain a significant challenge. In this chapter, we review the history of consumer beef preparation practices and food safety advice, including the significance of the 1993 E. coli outbreak, the research determining the best advice to give to consumers and how awareness of food safety issues and food preparation behaviour has changed over time. We focus primarily on the situation in the United States, but global food safety education, awareness and behaviours are also considered.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2016.0008.14