Study: Half of supermarket meat may have staph bug

The study:
http://www.tgen.org/news/index.cfm?newsid=1948

Nearly half of the meat and poultry samples — 47 percent — were contaminated with S. aureus, and more than half of those bacteria — 52 percent — were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics, according to the study published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

This is the first national assessment of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in the U.S. food supply. And, DNA testing suggests that the food animals themselves were the major source of contamination.

Although Staph should be killed with proper cooking, it may still pose a risk to consumers through improper food handling and cross-contamination in the kitchen.

Researchers collected and analyzed 136 samples — covering 80 brands — of beef, chicken, pork and turkey from 26 retail grocery stores in five U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Flagstaff and Washington, D.C.

But is organic meat (and dairy) any better than regular meat and dairy?

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/02/o ... iry-safer/
Organic vs. Conventional: A Bacterial Comparison
by Matt Cheung | Feb 21, 2010

Article 1: Meat
The first meta-analysis was a comparison of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance in organic and conventional poultry, swine, and beef (Young et al. 2009). The study included a total of thirty-eight articles (1991 to 2008) from around the world, selected based on relevance and quality (sample size, statistical method, etc.). While two statistical tests did not reveal any publication bias, it was also not completely ruled out. Additionally, most of the studies were observational cross-sectional studies, which can only provide evidence of association, not causation.

Key Findings - see article

Conclusion
Reducing the risk of foodborne illness, however, is not as compelling. The only significant difference between organic and conventional meat products appears to be antimicrobial resistance and multi-drug resistance. This means that people are as likely to be sickened from either, but an illness from an organic source might allow them to respond better to medication. Additionally, there does not appear to be any significant difference between organic and conventional dairy products.

The take-home message: handle and prepare your food carefully and cook thoroughly.