Beware Of Pink Meat

Hamburger disease and barbecue syndrome are common names for a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria known as verotoxigenic E.coli or VTEC. Although most outbreaks occur during spring and summer months, you can develop hamburger disease anytime of the year if you eat undercooked meat particularly hamburger and poultry. Drinking unpasteurized milk or unchlorinated water can put you at risk as well.

If you eat food contaminated with VTEC, you may experience mild symptoms similar to having a bad case of the flu. Or you could possibly suffer from more severe symptoms such as abdominal cramping and/or bloody diarrhea. Most people, however, recover seven to ten days after the start of their illness.

Prevention Is Key:

• Cut away fatty areas on pieces of meat and poultry. These burn quickly on the grill and mislead you into thinking the food is cooked. Make sure meat and poultry are no longer pink in the middle or at the bone and that juices run clear.
• Separate meats on your barbecue. Don't place raw meat next to another piece that's almost cooked. Food-borne bacteria can be passed to cooked meat if it's in close proximity to raw meat.
• Once you've finished cooking your meat, don't place it on the same plate you used for the raw meat. Juices from uncooked meat can contaminate cooked meat if the same plate is used again without washing it first.
• Wash your hands and surfaces often. Cutting boards and counters must be washed with hot, soapy water and bleach after coming in contact with raw meat.