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Walmart and Sam’s Club have announced that they will impose enhanced food safety measures on their beef suppliers.

According to the company, the new mandates are designed to reduce to the greatest extent possible the risk of potential contamination by pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Click on the the following link to view Walmart’s Beef Safety Press Release.

Under the new standards, beef processing (grinding) facilities which supply the company will be required to provide validated evidence within the next year that their process controls can achieve a 2-log reduction of pathogenic microorganisms. By June 2011, slaughter facilities supplying the company will be required to demonstrate a 3-log reduction. In turn, Walmart has also mandated that, by June 2012, slaughter facilities must go even further and validate a cumulative 5-log reduction.

Dr. James Marsden, a food safety scientist, stated that “Walmart has taken steps to provide its customers with the safest possible beef products. Consumers across the United States will benefit greatly from this timely food safety initiative.” Given the breadth of Walmart’s influence, Dr. Marsden’s comment cannot be underscored enough. More than 200 million people shop at the 4,300 Walmart stores throughout the nation.

Walmart’s imposition of more stringent standards does not mean, however, that most manufacturers are not already doing virtually everything they can to produce safe and wholesome food. Tyson, a major Walmart beef supplier, believes that its food safety measures are already in line with the new protocol. Thus, for many suppliers, meeting Walmart’s expectations will likely only entail producing microbiological testing data to verify that those interventions already in place are effective. With that said, however, most also agree that any new requirements set by the retail giant can only push those manufacturers not already reaching a very high standard to strive even harder.

Of note, Walmart excluded irradiation as an approved intervention for its beef. Although irradiation can safely destroy pathogens in ground beef, some types can slightly affect beef quality and many consumers are still leery of the concept. Nevertheless, as we reported previously, the technology is improving and hopefully someday, with additional research and consumer education, it will be a viable alternative for all foods.

In any event, while researches and industry continue to seek new interventions that may someday effectively eliminate pathogens in ground beef, Walmart’s new requirements appear to be yet another step in the right direction as we all strive to make the food we eat as safe as possible.

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For many of us, there is nothing better than the first bite of a delicious steak. Whether it is a sirloin, tenderloin, or perhaps grill-fired New York Strips shared with family and friends, there is a lot to be said for a good cut of beef.

This also, however, raises an important question. Beyond tasting delicious, to what extent is meat really an integral part of a healthy diet?

Many Vegetarians assert that among other things, living as a Vegetarian improves health. An Australian-Vietnamese study published in the July 2 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, however, disputes this concept. The research has shown that Vegetarians can have as much as a 5 percent lower bone density than individuals who consume meat. Vegans are potentially worse off, at 6 percent.

The Mayo-Clinic states that a vegetarian lifestyle can lead to a number of necessary vitamin deficiencies. They include:

• Protein. Your body needs protein to maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. Vegetarians who eat eggs or dairy products have convenient sources of protein. Other sources of protein include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

• Calcium. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli, are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium and fortified soy milk and fruit juices are other options.

• Vitamin B-12. Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement that contains this vitamin.

• Iron. Like vitamin B-12, iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb nonanimal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.

• Zinc. This mineral is an essential component of many enzymes and plays a role in cell division and in the formation of proteins. Good sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat germ.

Although most of these vitamins can be replenished by taking supplements and eating things like tofu-dogs, cod liver oil and soy burgers, it does seem like a lot of work.

So, as delicious as a lentil wrapped wheat germ biscuit may be, rest assured that a delicious, perfectly cooked steak with some garlic butter, red potatoes and a glass of cold milk will, indeed, do wonders for your health.

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Once again, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. While consumers are continuously reminded to cook their meat thoroughly before sitting down for dinner, the results of a new study suggest that grilling your filet until it resembles a hockey puck could have deadly consequences as well. The study links consumption of burned or charred pieces of meat to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Kristin Anderson, an epidemiologist with the School of Public Health, at the University of Minnesota, was recently quoted as saying that "we’re still trying to understand how this works." She said it’s been known for some time that particular carcinogens exist in meat, as they do in many other foods, "but the question is what causes them to react and how that’s relevant in meat."

The study, which Anderson presented at the recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, and which was based on a prospective analysis that included more than 62,500 participants, linked the increased risk of pancreatic cancer to consumption of meats that had been well-cooked, or over-cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing. At the meeting, Anderson told her colleagues that her research “has been focused on pancreatic cancer for some time, and we want to identify ways to prevent the cancer because treatments are very limited and the cancer is often fatal."

Data was gathered over nine years. According to the research, subjects who preferred very well-done steak were almost 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer than those who consumed their steak less well-done or who didn’t eat steak at all. When overall consumption and doneness preferences were used to estimate the meat-derived carcinogen intake for subjects, respondents who had the highest intake had 70 percent higher risk than those with the lowest intake.

Anderson, who also stated that her husband "has a big Weber grill in the backyard," said the study has generated a lot of interest, mostly "because people relate to meat." Several of her colleagues, she added, have told her she "had taken all the fun away."

And truly, there is certainly a lot of fun to be had in eating a piece of charcoal. I do wonder, however, whether we should really be looking deeper into the issue. Who are these people, and does their increased cancer risk really correlate to the fact that they like burnt meat?

Any individual who actually enjoys eating charred black crunch is most likely lacking taste in other ways as well. Let’s be honest, someone who can’t distinguish a difference in quality between ash and viably edible meat is apt to demonstrate poor judgment across the board. One can only assume that the burnt meat crowd is composed of the same individuals who shamelessly consume cheap booze, chain smoke, live near power lines, stand near the microwave, use artificial sweeteners, get x-rays, or, for those who live in Los Angeles; breathe.

Science also tells us that, across the biological spectrum, Darwinian law mandates the culling of the weak, so that only the strongest and most adaptable can survive and replicate over the millennia. So, it should come as no surprise then that people who actually enjoy incinerated meat (and the carcinogenic byproducts which are created when you burn ANY food beyond recognition) would have an increased likelihood of becoming gravely ill.

Thus, in a John Maddenesque delivery of wisdom and insight, Anderson concludes we would all be better off (and, frankly, more likely to enjoy our steak) if we would simply "Lower the temperature. Use indirect heat. Wrap meat in foil. Use marinades, and cut off the charred parts.” And, “you can cook food thoroughly,” Anderson urges, “without burning it."

So, will I heed Anderson’s advice? Probably. But, I also remain quite hopeful that, in coming years, with more studies and additional research, we will be better able to distinguish the absolute cancer risk between those sophisticated enough to eat steak the way it was meant to be served, and those who prefer a good beer, a shot of whiskey, and chunk of blackened meat cooked (well beyond recognition) over an open fire...

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