New York Beef Industry Moves To Produce Safer Beef ITHACA, N.Y. Thanks to the growing number of companies offer ing irradiated ground beef products. New York’s backyard barbecues have been safer than ever this sum mer. The interest in food irradiation has gained momentum this past year in the wake of meat recalls and food se curity issues. Irradiation is the process of expos ing food products to ionizing irradia tion in order to kill potentially dan gerous pathogens that may be present in the product. More than 110 food industry rep resentatives attended a one-day workshop on food irradiation at Cor nell University on Aug. 16. This workshop featured experts from the New York Department of Health, Cornell University, Penn State Uni versity, the Minnesota Beef Council and Wegmans. Topics included an update on food borne illness, history and use of irra diation, science of irradiation, nutri tional aspects of irradiation, beef in dustry perspective, retail launch success and consumer acceptance. New York became a leader in food irradiation in May when Rochester-based Weg mans became the first re- : tailer in the nation to ; market electronically ir- ; radiated refrigerated beef | under their own label. ; Wegmans now offers : fresh irradiated ground beef in all 63 stores in New York, New Jersey I and Pennsylvania. ; Minnesota-based Huis ken Meats became the first processor in the na tion to use electricity to eliminate the threat of E. Coli 0157:H7 in its prod ucts in May 2000. From an initial distribution in 84 stores located totally within the Twin Cities, the availability of Huis ken “Be Sure” brand fro zen patties has rapidly grown to literally thou sands of supermarkets in 35 states. Schwan’s, the nation’s distributor of premium frozen foods via home delivery, and Omaha Steaks are also success fully marketing irradiat ed ground beef products nationally. Recently Dairy Queen became the first fast food restaurant chain to offer irradiated hamburgers. Currently, irradiated beef patties are being sold at over 50 Minnesota Dairy Queen locations. New York has been the focal point as the de mand for irradiated ground beef spreads na tionwide. “Our goal is to make beef the safest food on the dinner table and irradiation is helping us do that,” said Carol Gillis, executive director of the New York Beef Industry Council. “By helping to increase consumer knowledge and confidence in beef, we expand de mand. Irradiated beef will do for the beef industry what pasteurized milk did for the dairy industry a half cen tury ago: improve quality and help stop the spread of food borne dis eases.” More and more companies are turning to Sureßeam electronic irra diation technology. Sure- Beam irradiates food using ordinary electricity. Several other processors are also using the technology, includ ing Excel, a division of Cargill. Excel, in fact, will be the first company in the nation to install Sureßeam’s electron beam technology in two of its meat processing plants located in Nebraska and Texas. Scientists have known for decades that exposing food to X-rays, high energy electrons, or cobalt-60 could kill deadly bacteria. Irradiation com plements not replaces other food STEEL BALE BOXES safety procedures. That is why con sumers should still grill irradiated burgers properly to ensure their safe ty for ground beef, that means grilling patties to an internal temper ature of at least 160 degrees. While some consumers have been wary of irradiated foods largely be cause of unfounded fear ignited by special interest groups opposing the use of nuclear energy many irradi ated products have become common- Gelbvieh Honors Dams Of Merit WESTMINSTER, Colo. The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) each year honors Gelbvieh fe males that have proven longevity and productivity. The Dam of Merit honors cows that have produced at least three calves with all weaning information reported to the American Gelbvieh Association. A Dam of Distinction meets the same requirements but must have produced eight calves or more. place. Commercial spices used as in gredients in ready-to-eat foods, for example, have been irradiated to kill pests and other contaminants for over a decade. Of course, the real pi oneers are our astronauts who have been eating irradiated food since the early 19705. “Research, shows that education is the key to consumer ac ceptance of irradiated food prod ucts,” says New York Beef Industry Council executive Carol Gillis. “We’re hoping to educate consumers A total of 2,267 cows qualified for Dam of Merit honors in 2002, while 301 cows were named Dam of Dis tinction. This comes from a total base of 55,765 active cows. Owners of Dams of Merit and Dams of Distinc tion receive a certificate for each cow recognized. Breeders of the .females also receive a certificate that lists the name and registration number of each recognized cow bred by them. We Salute Our Farming Industry w«*Asre* g BEHLEN DOUBLE HOT DIPPED GAL 16’ FENCE PANELS Starting at $16.99 HEAT LAMP BULBS -ON SALE! _ /k SKU BY THE CASE 000940 125 W Clear $ 1.66 ea. ( Al 03008. 250 W Clear $1.66 ea. VCv V 030640 250 W Red $3.51 ea EAWERR EQUIPMENT, INC. /iS K JtJ lOME CE "TER 717-464-3321 or 800-732-0053 www.aceretailer.com/emherr 0,,„.?f rrv !l le Rd &R ' 272 South 1/3 ....... Not Responsible (-or TvpoQranhrrr.l Errors about the safety of irradiation and continue the trend of acceptance of irradiated beef.” The use of irradiation as a food safety tool is endorsed by a host of health and public safety organiza tions, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the American Die tetic Association and dozens of oth ers. All of the data on the females must have been submitted by Aug. 1. Nebraska leads the way with 383 cows recognized this year with Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction honors. Trailing is South Dakota with 342 and North Dakota with 298 head. Virginia had eight Dams of Distinction and 39 Dams of Merit. Ohio had five Dams of Merit. New York had two Dams of Merit. RERS MlraFowt No Freeze 2 Hole Gallon WATB] Heated 1 or 2 Hole 8 Gallon spring. HEY, POULTRYMEN! LONG LIFE UGHT BULBS - 11,700 HRS! SKU mn £ASE BY THE CASE 60006 25 120 . 34$ ea 60006 40 120 34$ ea. ®°9 100 60 120 34$ ea. ®°9]2 75 120 34$ ea. — OOOl4 I°° 120 34$ ea. Mon.-Fn. 6:30 am-8:00 pm Sal 7:30 am-6:00 pm m UE&DteaL Point
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers