It has been a long time coming but we are approaching the end of this food poisoning countdown. As we hand out the silver medal, remember to come back and check out the winner/loser (depends on which way you approach the food poisoning spectrum).

#2 Food Poisoning Culprit – Minced Meat

Meat is a type of food that causes quite a few issues but minced meat is just that little bit harder to grapple with. At the supermarkets, consumers are concerned with the brown-grey colour that shows on the meat. Whereas in a matter of fact, the colouring is not the cause of the issue, rather it is how you cook it that can make you sick.

The colouring of minced meat is caused by oxidisation. The redness of minced meat occurs when oxygen touches the meat so where there is less oxygen, it has the more brown-grey colour. And why does the colour of mince meat change so much, because unlike other whole cuts of meat because of its larger surface area.

The main issue to minced meat is how once stores and cooks the meat – that is what can cause people to consume foodborne pathogens such as e. Coli. The following tips will help you stay safe from minced meat;

  • Consume minced meat shortly after buying it – it has a shorter shelf life than your normal cut meat

  • Cook it thoroughly – bypass the rare or medium rare affect here and go for the thoroughly cooked meal

 

Wanted – The Top Ten Food Poisoning Culprits