Diet

8 Unsettling Facts Food Companies Don't Want You to Know

Find out where wood fibers, bugs and other strange ingredients are lurking in commonly consumed foods.

by Diana Kelly | COMMENT

PHOTO 5/10

Your Burger Is More Likely Than Steak to Contain E. Coli As we just mentioned, ground beef often comes from different cows or includes the parts of a cow that aren't a roast, rib or certain cut. Because of this, ground beef is more likely than other cuts to be contaminated with E. coli, a type of bacteria that comes from the intestines of a cow and can sicken people.

If there's E. coli on the surface of a steak, the heat when you're cooking it will likely kill off the bacteria. But when you grind up beef, if E. coli is present, it gets spread throughout the meat. "When you do more processing of meat, you're grinding meats together; you're taking what's 'outside' and putting it 'inside,'" says Lovera. For this reason, it's much more dangerous to eat a rare burger than it is a rare steak

Bottom line: If you don't like your burgers well-done, you might be better off buying a cut of meat from the local butcher and having them grind it for you. Or, at the very least, make sure your burger is cooked medium to well to minimize risks.

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