Aussie beef dragged into E. coli alert

[Mike Oxlong]

The Australian Beef Association has called on Japanese authorities to quickly work out whether Australian beef was involved in an E. coli outbreak at a Japanese restaurant chain.

Fifteen customers of a Korean-style barbecue restaurant chain fell ill last month, and the owners say the infections might have been caused by Australian beef imports.

In Japan, health authorities are looking into two E. coli outbreaks, one of which has so far killed four people.

Both outbreaks of the O157 strain E. coli are linked to Korean-style barbecue restaurants.

In one outbreak, 20 people became sick in Toyama prefecture, 15 with O157 after eating at a popular Gyukaku restaurant chain on May 6, local officials told reporters.

REINS International, the operator of the Gyukaku chain, apologised and said it suspected the infections might have been caused by Australian beef imports.

Beef Association chairman Brad Bellinger says the reports are unconfirmed and has questioned whether the restaurant owners might be trying to shift blame elsewhere...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Aussie beef

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

[Coligny]

Aussie beef

Seriously, in cheezeburgers it could be cardboard saturated with salt and drops of animal blood I wouldn't even notice...

(well... until the next day anyway)

[Doctor Stop]

[YT]Q5hA3PN0uic&start=42[/YT]

YouTube doesn't have an end time parameter, so just hit pause at 0:54.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I actually had good Aussie beef once at a friend's cook out. One of the guests brought some Black Label beef which I guess is like Prime in the US or A5 in Japan. However, the shit they sell in grocery stores here is horrible. It has a nasty gamey after taste that can't even be disguised if you put in a roast beef sandwich with the works. Fucking awful.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

...the shit they sell in grocery stores here is horrible. It has a nasty gamey after taste that can't even be disguised if you put in a roast beef sandwich with the works. Fucking awful.

Not trying to defend the homeland or anything like that, but that gamey taste comes about because Aussie livestock are fed on grass...it was how cow was supposed to taste before farmers from a certain land that shall remain unmentioned for fear of offending made it taste really yummy by using artificial feed and growth hormones...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Not trying to defend the homeland or anything like that, but that gamey taste comes about because Aussie livestock are fed on grass...it was how cow was supposed to taste before farmers from a certain land that shall remain unmentioned for fear of offending made it taste really yummy by using artificial feed and growth hormones...

Not true. I've had quality grass-fed beef in the US and it didn't taste anything like that cheap Aussie beef they sell in Japan.

[Greji]

Not true. I've had quality grass-fed beef in the US and it didn't taste anything like that cheap Aussie beef they sell in Japan.

We're all missing the point! 4 season beef can only be as tasty, hygenic and wonderful. It is only that gaijin stuff that packs e-coli and all the rest of the horrific diseases that the poor sons and daughters of Yamato must suffer.....

[Mike Oxlong]

Not true. I've had quality grass-fed beef in the US and it didn't taste anything like that cheap Aussie beef they sell in Japan.

They often finish beef advertised as grass-fed beef on a feedlot. It doesn't take long to get that corn-fed flavor.

[xenomorph42]

Not trying to defend the homeland or anything like that, but that gamey taste comes about because Aussie livestock are fed on grass...it was how cow was supposed to taste before farmers from a certain land that shall remain unmentioned for fear of offending made it taste really yummy by using artificial feed and growth hormones...

Obvious you have no idea as to what you are talking about. A lot of people don't like Aussie beef because also in part it has a kind of marbled texture, not pleasing for many people. Having relatives that own a farm and having spent many summers on a farm, I know for a fact that MOST farmers not only feed their livestock with grass, but also cornmeal, which really cleans the animal and adds natural tenderness to the meat. An E. Coli outbreak can happen anywhere and mistakes can happen. Now you have to find the source and fix the problem ASAP! Sure, you can find in ANY country, ANY that will use artificial growth hormones to their livestock, depending on what is demanded from the buyer, market and consumer. And most of the time, nowadays in the states, you have choices, you can choose from]organic, grain fed, grass fed, cornmeal[/I] fed. Australia is a country, not the pearly gates and is not immune to Scandal or even E.coli

[Mike Oxlong]

Um, cornmeal cleans the animal out? And adds "natural" tenderness? How does nature have to be added to something? Having grown up on a farm where ranching was part of the operation, and later working in agribiz, your post has the ring of advertising copy.

Cattle evolved to eat grass. On a feedlot they eat a very high proportion of grains. This causes acidosis in the rumen, and leads to ulcers. Bacteria in the rumen (normally to digest the cellulose in the grass, but in grain-fed cattle harmful bacteria can proliferate) now get into the bloodstream and infect the cattle. They need to be treated with antibiotics. In the meantime, they are in a confined space walking in massive amounts of urine and feces. Their hides get coated with "mud". When they go to abattoir and the hide is stripped, there is another way for bacteria to get into the meat.

[xenomorph42]

Um, cornmeal cleans the animal out? And adds "natural" tenderness? How does nature have to be added to something? Having grown up on a farm where ranching was part of the operation, and later working in agribiz, your post has the ring of advertising copy.

Cattle evolved to eat grass. On a feedlot they eat a very high proportion of grains. This causes acidosis in the rumen, and leads to ulcers. Bacteria in the rumen (normally to digest the cellulose in the grass, but in grain-fed cattle harmful bacteria can proliferate) now get into the bloodstream and infect the cattle. They need to be treated with antibiotics. In the meantime, they are in a confined space walking in massive amounts of urine and feces. Their hides get coated with "mud". When they go to abattoir and the hide is stripped, there is another way for bacteria to get into the meat.

To a part you are correct, but there is nothing wrong with giving a natural mix of pure ground cornmeal(usually oats are added to that mixture)in the animals feed. You have an opinion and I respect that, but where I grew up and how often the industry works back home, as I stated earlier, it does give the meat a milder, tender and juicer flavor, no doubt about it, has nothing to do with trying to plug in any advertisements.

[Mike Oxlong]

I appreciate your reply, but the way you use language reminds me of ad execs. A "natural" mix, "pure" cornmeal containing oats...it's the kind of language seen on packaging and in ad copy. It's used to reassure customers who have little understanding of science or industry - people who don't look too deep, and perhaps don't want to.

Grain-feeding cattle does produce a fattier meat, and fat is what gives the meat a softer, jucier texture and flavor. I found it interesting that you would contend that Aussie beef was marbled and that bothered customers, since grain-feeding is what produces that marbling. An extreme example would be Kobe beef.

The thing with grain-feeding is that you've got the problem of cattle with ulcers, infections, and extremely filthy hides when slaughtered. Recent research has suggested that even feedlot cattle can be rendered relatively clean by having them on grass the final five days before slaughter, dramatically reducing and often eliminating e-coli. You don't find e-coli at all in 100% pastured animals, unless of course they've been run through an abattoir that handles feedlot cattle.

[xenomorph42]

Sorry, if it sounds like if my language sounds like that, but I have nothing to do with ANY meat packaging industry, actually, I'm not even a strong meat eater, preferably I'll take fish anytime over meat, but with the way things are going in Japan, I might have to sadly, really sadly reconsider.

Grain-feeding cattle does produce a fattier meat, and fat is what gives the meat a softer, jucier texture and flavor. I found it interesting that you would contend that Aussie beef was marbled and that bothered customers, since grain-feeding is what produces that marbling. An extreme example would be Kobe beef.

Not that big fan of the Kobe beef either, not bad, not great IMSHO.

[Mike Oxlong]

Right, but American beef is marbled too. The marbling is what separates corn-fed from grass-fed. So I'm not sure what you are suggesting about Aussie beef being marbled and that's what bothers some customers. If the Aussie beef was grass-fed, it should be leaner and less marbled in comparison with wa-gyu or American beef that has been grain-fed.

[xenomorph42]

Right, but American beef is marbled too. The marbling is what separates corn-fed from grass-fed. So I'm not sure what you are suggesting about Aussie beef being marbled and that's what bothers some customers. If the Aussie beef was grass-fed, it should be leaner and less marbled in comparison with wa-gyu or American beef that has been grain-fed.

But that is not the usual case. What I was referring to when I was talking about marbled was in the sense of it being a bit more tough, not bad, but not my thing and it is not for everyone, not saying people shouldn't eat it. And also, there are many people that would argue that a grass fed cow doesn't quite taste as good as a cornfed cow. Yes, tastes can be quite subjective, but I get this a lot. From the meat I have tasted in my travels, I personally have always liked the cornfed better.

[Mike Oxlong]

More tough...you mean less marbled. The more marbled with fat, the softer the meat. And juicier. Fat certainly adds some flavor. Kind of like foie gras. Force-feed grain, get fatty liver, harvest and serve.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Obvious you have no idea as to what you are talking about.

Er...you're absolutely right.
Still, a good thing, too. Had I been more knowledgable, we'd've missed out on this great exchange.
Thanks guys! (But I'm with you Mike!!!!)

[Mike Oxlong]

The exchange just confirms what you've suspected all along...I know, quite literally, a bunch of bullshit!

[Greji]

The exchange just confirms what you've suspected all along...I know, quite literally, a bunch of bullshit!

Mike, I don't know a lot about heifers, but I gots a couple of sows I'd like to winter on your south 40, if you would be so kind to marble them up for me. I've been buying 'em drinks for the last six months, but they just won't fatten up. I guess slopping 'em in Roppongi ain't all that good...

[Mike Oxlong]

Well, that is interesting. Like most farmers, you've probably been giving them hogs a high protein & fat supplement, which keeps them a lot leaner than the ones feed strictly grains. Thing is, as pork has been getting leaner over the years, the taste has suffered.

You don't want to fatten them up too much anyway. Breeders are kept lean via carb restriction, so as to be able to perform on demand, and raise any young 'uns that result from the process.

[xenomorph42]

Er...you're absolutely right.
Still, a good thing, too. Had I been more knowledgable, we'd've missed out on this great exchange.
Thanks guys! (But I'm with you Mike!!!!)

And that's quite alright, no argument here. I still prefer cornfed over grass any day of the week and it just boils down to what you like. So it has nothing to do with the method-grass vs cornfed. I like the juicer taste, that's it. So there are No winners or losers here, we obviously have different opinions and that's fine, but when it comes to overall meat consumption, I'll let all you flesh eaters go at it. As a person that eats meat on special occasions and hates the Swine even more so, I'll stick to fish and poultry.

[dimwit]

There was a very interesting documentary on Discovery Japan a month or so back called 'King Corn' and talks a lot about the issues Mike has been raising. It was certainly a good primer for me.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/plotsummary

[Mike Oxlong]

And that's quite alright, no argument here. I still prefer cornfed over grass any day of the week and it just boils down to what you like. So it has nothing to do with the method-grass vs cornfed. I like the juicer taste, that's it. So there are No winners or losers here...

For taste alone, it is a matter of preference, but from the view of food safety and the ethical issues of treating cattle as units of production rather than as living creatures, the pollution from feedlots, etc. grain-fed doesn't get a free pass from me.

[xenomorph42]

For taste alone, it is a matter of preference, but from the view of food safety and the ethical issues of treating cattle as units of production rather than as living creatures, the pollution from feedlots, etc. grain-fed doesn't get a free pass from me.

And that's your opinion and I respect that, we can agree to disagree.

[Mike Oxlong]

You've certainly been a gentleman at debate. Cheers!

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I second that, and apply the same to Mike.
This is incredible...I think you guys have created Internet history. You had a rational, intelligent discussion in a mature fashion on an online bulletin board and then ended it by pleasantly agreeing to disagree.
So, er, something wrong with you blokes, or what?
Seriously, thanks to you both. And just to get the subject back to where it belongs, when's everything's said and done, I'd rather just eat pussy...

[xenomorph42]

I second that, and apply the same to Mike.
This is incredible...I think you guys have created Internet history. You had a rational, intelligent discussion in a mature fashion on an online bulletin board and then ended it by pleasantly agreeing to disagree.
So, er, something wrong with you blokes, or what?
Seriously, thanks to you both. And just to get the subject back to where it belongs, when's everything's said and done, I'd rather just eat pussy...

Thanks guys, must've have been the way my mother raised me, always try to respect others opinions, whether you agree or disagree with them. Once you start throwing hash and attach emotion to a logical rational debate, you automatically lose all credibility.