Consumer Reports finds fecal contamination in ground beef

CHICAGO (KABC) -- That hamburger you're grilling could contain harmful bacteria, and unless you cook it thoroughly, it could make you sick. New lab tests conducted by Consumer Reports found that of the 300 packages of ground beef purchased in stores across the country, almost all contained bacteria that signified fecal contamination. More than 40 percent contained Staphylococcus aureus. Almost 20 percent contained Clostridium perfringens, which causes nearly 1 million cases of food poisoning annually, many related to beef. A significant amount also contained superbugs, bacteria that are resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. A key reason is the overuse of antibiotics on cattle farms. "That practice can lead to the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a major public health problem. If you get sick from these bugs, your infection can be difficult to treat," said Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of Food Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports. But the tests revealed some good news. Ground beef from cows that are grass-fed and raised without antibiotics were three times less likely to have superbug bacteria...more