New food safety issues: from the big houses to your table

Food Safety News feature: Meat Industry told to Brace for 'Big Six' Listing

Maybe it was Bill Marler's $500,000 study on non-O157 STECs (finding non-O157 STEC contamination of retail ground beef in about 1% of samples), or maybe it was his petition to USDA-FSIS to finally call a spade a spade and declare that the "big six" non-O157 STECs are "adulterants."  Whatever the case, the case for outlawing things in our food supply that kill us may be gaining momentum amongst regulatory types.  According to Dan Flynn atFood Safety News,
The pathogenic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia Coli (pSTEC) serotypes known collectively as the "Big Six" will soon be banned from U.S. meat, a top expert told a meat industry conference Thursday.
Action to declare the six non-O157:H7 serotypes as adulterants in meat could come as early as next week, according to Mohammad Koohmaraie, chief executive officer for the meat division of IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group based in Lake Forest Park, WA.
For certain, he says, the Big Six -- O26, O111, O103, O121, O45 and O145 -- will be listed as adulterants no later than one year from now.

Koohmaraie delivered his comments at the two-day "Prevention of E. coli" conference in Chicago, organized by the Virginia-based North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP).

How will industry respond?  Some might take the initiative and not fight progress in the name of safety.  Costco and Beef Packers Inc. have already taken the bold, industry-leading steps of committing to a testing program for the Big Six non-O157 STECS, despite the cost and any regulatory or administrative burden.
It is not as if industry does not have the technology, tools and capability to do these tests.  In comments delivered recently at the IAFP conference, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said:
FSIS, together with FDA and CDC, have kept an eye on non-O157 STEC for several years. We've engaged food safety stakeholders at public meetings about how to best protect the public from these pathogens… USDA has developed the tests for them – an important tool that we didn't have when we launched our O157 testing program. And today we have leaders in the meat industry that have taken these tests and implemented them in their establishments.

So, USDA-FSIS is ready, consumers are ready, a couple of key players in the industry are ready.  Who is not ready?

How Fresh is Your Meat?

I was reading an article written by a local news agency and had been reminded of a meat recall in Denver this month.  A meat distributor named Beef Packers Inc.  had to recall ground beef that had possible salmonella poisoning.  The part that shocked me is that the meat that was being recalled had a use by date as late as July 8th but was said to be in stores as recently as August.

The thought of hamburger a month expired still being available at Safeway & Sam’s Club is shocking.  Even more shocking when you think that the animal it came from could have been slaughtered over a month prior to this.

Maybe we’re spoiled but at Arapahoe Meat Company we know where your meat came from and how old it is down to the day.  It’s just how we do things.  Fresh meat is our specialty.

Call us today to arrange a beef purchase and have your meat into your freezer in weeks not months.

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Whole Foods?

We are constantly suggesting that you buy your meat from local farmers that come are butchered by small companies like ours. The recalls on meat butchered by big meat companies such as Tyson continue on a regular basis. For example the nationwide recall of 380,000 pounds of tainted meat last August: http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-24/us/meat.recall_1_deli-meat-zemco-industries-products-subject?_s=PM:US

Then you have Southern California that just had 3,170 pounds of meat recalled this month: http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Ground_Beef_Recall_554376C.shtml

At the rate it many of us see this news as normal, because we hear about it so often. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way and it needs to be different to protect us from being sick or our children getting sick. This means you that you can change this by your purchasing decisions. When you purchase meat from us, you get the knowledge that the meat you eat is taken care of and only comes from local farmers. If you can’t make it to Arapahoe Meat Co., then look for the section in your supermarket where they sell quality meat and don’t be afraid to ask where it comes from.

Even if you shop at Whole Foods you need to be careful about what meat you buy there as I have heard stories that some of their meat actually comes from Tyson. So when you think of quality meat, think of Arapahoe Meat Co.

Scientists grow ‘cultured’ meat in a lab

In a small laboratory on an upper floor of the basic science building at the Medical University of South Carolina, Vladimir Mironov, M.D., Ph.D., has been working for a decade to grow meat.

A developmental biologist and tissue engineer, Dr. Mironov, 56, is one of only a few scientists worldwide involved in bioengineering “cultured” meat.

It’s a product he believes could help solve future global food crises resulting from shrinking amounts of land available for growing meat the old-fashioned way . . . on the hoof.

Growth of “in-vitro” or cultured meat is also under way in the Netherlands, Mironov told Reuters in an interview, but in the United States, it is science in search of funding and demand.

This is just one more reason to buy your meat from Arapahoe Meat Co. instead of shopping at the supermarket. When you buy from us, you know where your meat came from and that it was actually grown on a cow, pig or lamb.

Read the entire article here.

Pork Tenderloin

I remember as a kid growing up, my sister and I would always tease my parents about their love of freshly-cracked black pepper.  We had a huge pepper grinder that used to be placed on the table for every meal, and — while we rarely touched it — they took great delight in cracking fresh pepper onto just about every meal.

Now, decades later, it’s Yours Truly who has a slight obsession with the pepper mill.    Absolutely love filling it with all sorts of beautiful peppercorns that I come across, and enjoying the satisfaction of grinding out some amazingly fresh, fragrant and oh-so-delicious black pepper.

So it will come as no surprise that I’m a huge fan of peppercorn sauce.  I usually just improvise and toss in whatever ingredients (wine, brandy, cream, herbs, you name it…) I have on hand.  But wrote down this delicious combination I tried last week on my day off to share on here.  I ended up serving it over a cooked pork tenderloin, but it would be great on steaks, chicken, seafood, grilled veggies…whatever you’d like to make!  Very simple, very versatile, and very flavorful.

Discover this delightful recipe here.

New USDA Labeling

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that it will require many cuts of raw meat and poultry to feature detailed nutritional information, including calorie and fat content. The new labels will appear either on the packages themselves, or be available at the store.

The federal rule, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, will apply to 40 of the most commonly purchased single-ingredient cuts of beef, lamb, poultry and pork, including boneless chicken breast, brisket and ground meats like hamburger and turkey.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/30/usda-requires-nutrition-labels-on-cuts-of-meat-and-poultry/#ixzz1ADtmeHZs

Want to know where your meat comes from? Then you should purchase your cuts from Arapahoe Meat Co. as we work with local farmers.

There is no such thing as Vegan

We found this funny picture from this site. In modern times there is really no way to avoid the that meat products end up in a vast array of products. Not to say that eating better food is not an issue. That is why we focus on the highest quality of meat and work with local farmers. We attempt to bring our customers and theirs, cow, pig, and lambs that are humanly raised and provide your healthy meat for your family’s dinner table.

LA POSADAS- A MIDWINTER FESTIVAL

LA POSADAS- A MIDWINTER FESTIVAL

FROG BELLY FARM

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 4:00-6:30

YOU ARE INVITED! This year our Midwinter Festival will be a celebration of the Mexican pageant of La Posadas. This sweet festival enacts the journey of Mary and Joseph (and the donkey) on the first Christmas night. Participants will walk the property with our donkeys looking for an Inn. After being turned away twice by heartless innkeepers, we arrive at a third dwelling and are warmly invited in. We will celebrate with here hot chocolate and treats and a traditional Mexican pinata. The evening will close with caroling in soft candlelight. Everyone will leave quietly singing silent night.

Price is $25/family
Space is limited to 50 people

PLEASE RSVP to Mellymom@gmail.com or call 303-324-6762
all RSVP’s must be received by December 15th at 5pm, please RSVP sooner if possible.

Cattle enjoy red wine with their feed

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Western Canadian beef producers have found a novel way of putting the “bar” in barbecue.

Angus cattle in British Columbia’s Okanagan wine and cattle region are being fed red wine with their grain. Chefs in this Canadian Pacific Coast province said it makes for a unique beef taste, but Canadian food inspectors appear to have doubts.

The idea is the brainchild of Janice Ravndahl of Kelowna, British Columbia’s Sezmu Meats. Ravndahl said the beef produced has an enhanced flavor, the marbling is finer and the fat tastes like candy.

Read the full story here

Colorado Local Sustainability

Colorado Local Sustainability supports local sustainable food production, educates consumers on food related and sustainability issues and works to build community through food and sustainability.

This project is home to the Rocky Mountain Growers Directory, a print and online directory of sustainable farms and ranches in and around Colorado. The directory also lists farmers markets, food co-ops & grocers, as well as restaurants who serve local food.

Colorado Local Sustainability was created in 2007 by two people who were passionate about local food, eating local, and doing what they can to help consumers find local farms and ranches. As the project grows we hope to help consumers understand the need to support local sustainable food production, and to help market our sustainable farms and ranches.

The Rocky Mountain Growers Directory is a yearly printed directory and online directory of sustainably grown/raised vegetables, herbs, fruit, meat, poultry, dairy, eggs and other items. While the directory currently focuses on Colorado growers, we also welcome growers near the Colorado boarder in Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah who sell to customers in Colorado.

Visit Colorado Local Sustainability.