Posted: August 10th, 2011 - 8:40pm by Doug Powell

Nine Michigan residents were sickened by E. coli O157:H7 of which six were hospitalized, linked to ground beef from McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC.

Jennifer Holton, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development public information officer, told those residents it was their fault.

“Even if you think it’s been cooked thoroughly, using a meat thermometer is the only true test. You don’t want any cross contamination. You don’t want to have raw meat or poultry products next to your vegetables. ... Just following some of those safety tips can go a long way.”

E. coli O157:H7 and other shiga-toxin producing E. coli are difficult to control once inside a foodservice or home kitchen environment. Consumers are not the only critical control point for meat safety.