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Article: Safer supper? (new US rules for better inspection of meat; includes tips on safe handling of meat in the home and three fast facts)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- October 18, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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or the first time in 90 years, the U.S. government plans to beef up safety inspections of meat. The goal: Prevent the spread of deadly bacteria.
You can't see microscopic organisms on the meat you buy, says Caroline Smith De Waal, Director of Food Safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. But if you don't cook meat thoroughly, the germs can sometimes give you a bad case of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever--or worse. Each year, about 4,000 Americans die and 5 million others become ill after eating bacteria-tainted meat.
Where do the bacteria come from? They normally live harmlessly on the animals' skin or in their intestines and feces. But ...