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Meat tenderized the old-fashioned way. The industrial method is a mechanized process involving needles.
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In order to make tough cuts of beef more tender, the industry uses a mechanical tenderizing process that involves piercing the meat with needles.
This is effective in breaking up the tough muscle fibers, but there’s a downside, too: a higher risk of surface bacteria making their way into the cut of meat, which can set the stage for food poisoning. That’s a particular concern when it comes to the center of meat cuts, which don’t get heated to the same temperatures as the exterior.
Since 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has learned about five foodborne illness outbreaks linked to mechanically tenderized beef.
And what was the common denominator in these outbreaks? Undercooked or raw beef.
So, the USDA has that would require new labels for mechanically tenderized meats, so that consumers know what they are purchasing. The thinking is that if you know your cut of meat has been mechanically tenderized, you’ll be inclined to cook it a little longer.
Related articles
- Tender Beef, Without The Pathogens: USDA Proposes Labeling Rules (wnyc.org)
- Needle-Tenderized Steaks to Require New Labels in US – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- USDA to propose labeling ‘blade’ tenderized meat (kansascity.com)
- USDA Proposes Mandatory Labeling for Mechanically Tenderized Beef (eatdrinkbetter.com)
- Gov’t proposes safety labels for tenderized beef (kfwbam.com)
- Needle-Tenderized Steak More Likely To Be Infected With E. Coli, Should Be Labeled (hngn.com)
- USDA to require labels for mechanically tenderized meat (usatoday.com)
- Why Should I Care If The Beef I Buy Has Been Mechanically Tenderized? (consumerist.com)
- Gov’t proposes safety labels for tenderized beef (wfaa.com)
- Labels on beef will protect consumers (kansascity.com)
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