E-Coli, Salmonella and other top concerns:
We are sometimes asked if our meat is inspected and whether it's safe. Yes on both counts. Our slaughterhouse (establishment #87) is inspected by the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and every single animal we sell to retail customers is inspected alive and during slaughter. The carcasses are tested for brucelosis, E-coli (including 0157:H7), Salmonella, antibiotics, even water and fat content. We have never had a positive result for anything that would harm our customers.
A main reason for this is our clean, slow process. We butcher, at most, 3-5 animals in a week, with plenty of dry sanitation between kills. The entire room is cleaned between animals to prevent cross-contamination, the carcasses are sprayed with organic fly spray and vinegar (an organic antimicrobial agent), and we're never in a hurry.
Healthy, grass eating animals with low rumen acidity is another big factor in eliminating E-coli concerns. The high acidity in most feedlot beef rumens leads to acid-resistant strains of E-coli that are not killed by human digestive tracts, increasing the potential for sickness.
Our ground beef is ground from one animal at a time (not mixed with hundreds of others), and comes from main muscle groups (round and chuck). We never add any organ meat or "non-muscle pieces" to our grind.
Any inspected beef you buy is very safe. Concerns are largely exaggerated out of statistical proportion (you're probably more likely to drown in your bathtub than be killed by a hamburger), but our processing gives that much more degree of comfort.
WANT A NATURAL WAY TO FIGHT CANCER? Try a little CLA from the Pasture; By Mary Myers, abridged by Sarah McGuane
LOGAN, Utah: CLA or conjugated linoleic acid is a natural anti-carcinogen. It is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in many foods and is especially high in milk and meat from ruminant animals. The only way humans can get CLA is by consuming dairy products and beef. CLA has been shown to inhibit cancer growth in laboratory animals.
Since low fat diets have become popular, people have been cutting out not only fat, but CLA as well. Studies have shown that CLA slows the progress in some types of cancer and heart disease, and it appears to actually help reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass.
According to Dr. (Tilak) Dhiman, (a University of Utah animal scientist), it is possible that something in green grass enhances the growth of the particular bacteria in the rumen that is responsible for producing CLA. Or it may be that grazing cows have different microbes in the rumen than cows fed inside the barn.
“We cut our consumption of CLA when we changed the way we feed our animals, said Dr. Dhiman. He also noted that 30 or 40 years ago animals mostly grazed on pasture. Now their feed is controlled, which might be having a negative impact on human health.
CLA appears to be very stable, according to Dr. Dhiman. It is not affected by cooking and processing.
GRASS FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU – By Allan Nation, abridged by Sarah McGuane
Recent medical research has indicated that not all fat has the same effect on human health. In the sub groups of mono-saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, there are fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6.
It has been found that a higher proportion of the omega-3 series of fatty acids in the human diet is likely to be particularly beneficial in terms o their effect on the incidence of coronary heart disease and other lifestyle related diseases.
Dr. Raymond Asteen recently reported on research at Hillsborough Research Institute in Northern Ireland that showed cattle finished on pasture had a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 series four times greater than beef cattle finished on high concentrate diets.
“This research has shown that, as well as having a cleaner, greener environmentally image, beef from pasture is also likely to a much better product in terms of human health than beef produced from grain. It is hoped that these new research findings will further enhance the image of pasture-produced beef as a healthy product in comparison with beef produced in feedlots from grain”, Steen said.
Visit http://www.eatwild.com for more information.