Your Questions Answered!
I asked my FaceBook friends to ask me some questions about BEEF to help me prepare for the National Beef Ambassador Contest!
I copy and pasted them below:
Q1: Is it still safe to eat "steak tartare" ? I think it is, as long as you cut it or grind it yourself from a solid cut of beef under sanitary conditions. Do you agree?
Q2: Do you think that the growth hormones used in beef is the reason so many young adults are now taller than their ancestors and so many girls now have such big feet?
Q3: Does the general public need to worry about receiving horse meat labeled as ground beef? Has that ever happened?
Q4: Is "pink slime" still added to ground beef? If so, what food chains continue to sell it?
Q5: OK, Madison, you asked: What is your take on the new Chipotle "Scarecrow" ad? What is the good and bad, and how do you think it will affect consumers? Is this another attempt at emotion-driven change after the failure of the first Chipotle Super-Bows commercial (2012) to drive the majority of consumers to food ethicism? And what are positive actions farmers can take to spread their most accurate message?
A1: So, I have never heard of "steak tartare" until now! It is a dish composed of thinly sliced meat, onions, egg yolk, and capers. Beef farmers go to great lengths to make sure that all our your meat is safe. It is inspected by the USDA. Steak Tartare is served raw. This raises eyebrows among people. In our culture, it is a rarity that we indulge in raw meat dishes, but in other cultures it is quite popular. For food safety reasons we recommend you cook steaks to 145F. This of course is not done with Steak Tartare. It is important to know that there is some risk in eating raw animal products of any kind. You should not eat this dish if you have a compromised immune system. Often times, we decide to accept the risk and enjoy a special delicacy. Just know the risk you could be taking by not cooking it.
A2: No, I do not. Supplemental growth hormones in cattle continue to be used in the United States because studies have shown they pose no risk to consumers. The hormones are tested and re-tested to make sure they are safe. Most animals are never given hormones. And the hormones that are are given in small doses through an implant in the animal's ear. Some nutritional experts say children are larger because of their increased consumption of processed foods that is readily available in large quantities. And some say it is just us evolving as we have for many decades. Some nutritional experts agree we won't get much bigger because "nature says enough." I think it also due to our eating more than needed. We have year-round access, thanks to farmers and rancher, to all our necessary food groups so we are thriving far more than our ancestors or rather our grandparents ever had a chance to do. We are not limited as much by seasons as they were.
A3: The USDA has extremely strict regulations for our meat to ensure that you get 100% beef. The USDA has a food safety and inspection service has inspectors at the cutting and packaging facilities to make sure they stay clean and uphold our standards. So no, they do not. We take pride in the fact we give you our best.
A4: Lean Finely Textured Beef is just 95% lean beef! The reason it appears less held together is because it is ground beef and has little to almost no fat! In my opinion it is a great way to utilize every bit of meat on the cow! Lean finely textured beef is just BEEF. It is the same meat in your steaks just ground up into ground beef!
Recently four new states have added it back into school lunches. Lean Finely Textured Beef has been in our beef for two decades. It is a safe product.
A5: I think the commercial depicts it wrong, it is trying to show the packaging facilities in the same building as the farm. The bad is just that, they are trying to put two things in one and we don't do that! The good, it is showing farmers that we need to step up on our education to the public! That is our job as farmers, ranchers, and ambassadors; to educate the public. Still I think it will affect non-educated consumers. I am always welcome to visitors on our family farm to clear up any misconceptions! It will hit the emotions, it hit mine! I think it hit me hard because I know I treat my animals with the upmost respect. Farmers and ranchers care and we are capable of raising a quality product that you can confidently take home to your family.
I copy and pasted them below:
Q1: Is it still safe to eat "steak tartare" ? I think it is, as long as you cut it or grind it yourself from a solid cut of beef under sanitary conditions. Do you agree?
Q2: Do you think that the growth hormones used in beef is the reason so many young adults are now taller than their ancestors and so many girls now have such big feet?
Q3: Does the general public need to worry about receiving horse meat labeled as ground beef? Has that ever happened?
Q4: Is "pink slime" still added to ground beef? If so, what food chains continue to sell it?
Q5: OK, Madison, you asked: What is your take on the new Chipotle "Scarecrow" ad? What is the good and bad, and how do you think it will affect consumers? Is this another attempt at emotion-driven change after the failure of the first Chipotle Super-Bows commercial (2012) to drive the majority of consumers to food ethicism? And what are positive actions farmers can take to spread their most accurate message?
A1: So, I have never heard of "steak tartare" until now! It is a dish composed of thinly sliced meat, onions, egg yolk, and capers. Beef farmers go to great lengths to make sure that all our your meat is safe. It is inspected by the USDA. Steak Tartare is served raw. This raises eyebrows among people. In our culture, it is a rarity that we indulge in raw meat dishes, but in other cultures it is quite popular. For food safety reasons we recommend you cook steaks to 145F. This of course is not done with Steak Tartare. It is important to know that there is some risk in eating raw animal products of any kind. You should not eat this dish if you have a compromised immune system. Often times, we decide to accept the risk and enjoy a special delicacy. Just know the risk you could be taking by not cooking it.
A2: No, I do not. Supplemental growth hormones in cattle continue to be used in the United States because studies have shown they pose no risk to consumers. The hormones are tested and re-tested to make sure they are safe. Most animals are never given hormones. And the hormones that are are given in small doses through an implant in the animal's ear. Some nutritional experts say children are larger because of their increased consumption of processed foods that is readily available in large quantities. And some say it is just us evolving as we have for many decades. Some nutritional experts agree we won't get much bigger because "nature says enough." I think it also due to our eating more than needed. We have year-round access, thanks to farmers and rancher, to all our necessary food groups so we are thriving far more than our ancestors or rather our grandparents ever had a chance to do. We are not limited as much by seasons as they were.
A3: The USDA has extremely strict regulations for our meat to ensure that you get 100% beef. The USDA has a food safety and inspection service has inspectors at the cutting and packaging facilities to make sure they stay clean and uphold our standards. So no, they do not. We take pride in the fact we give you our best.
A4: Lean Finely Textured Beef is just 95% lean beef! The reason it appears less held together is because it is ground beef and has little to almost no fat! In my opinion it is a great way to utilize every bit of meat on the cow! Lean finely textured beef is just BEEF. It is the same meat in your steaks just ground up into ground beef!
Recently four new states have added it back into school lunches. Lean Finely Textured Beef has been in our beef for two decades. It is a safe product.
A5: I think the commercial depicts it wrong, it is trying to show the packaging facilities in the same building as the farm. The bad is just that, they are trying to put two things in one and we don't do that! The good, it is showing farmers that we need to step up on our education to the public! That is our job as farmers, ranchers, and ambassadors; to educate the public. Still I think it will affect non-educated consumers. I am always welcome to visitors on our family farm to clear up any misconceptions! It will hit the emotions, it hit mine! I think it hit me hard because I know I treat my animals with the upmost respect. Farmers and ranchers care and we are capable of raising a quality product that you can confidently take home to your family.
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