Beef Checkoff Educates Consumers About Irradiated Beef

DENVER (May 11, 2004) - With funding from America's beef producers through the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, volunteers for American National CattleWomen, Inc. (ANCW) have been educating consumers about irradiation of ground beef – and the information seems to be getting through.

During the last eight months, more than 50 ANCW volunteers have conducted 32 educational activities in 15 states. The goal of the education program, authorized by the checkoff’s Beef Promotion Operating Committee and USDA, is to deliver accurate, science-based information about irradiation to consumers and opinion leaders, so they can make educated decisions about food safety for themselves and their families.

Participants in the educational events are asked to complete an unscientific survey to help measure attitudes about irradiated ground beef. Results based on the first 3,500 surveys tabulated indicate the following:

·        Most consumers (75%) understand that irradiation is not a substitute for safe food handling practices.

·        Nearly half of the consumers surveyed (44%) failed to identify the proper cooking temperature for ground beef (160 degrees).  Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they do not know the correct temperature and another 16% got the answer wrong.

·        The vast majority of consumers (88%) understand that irradiation does not change the nutritional profile of ground beef.

·        Most consumers (90%) understand that irradiation increases the food safety of ground beef.

·        Maybe most important, nearly all of consumers surveyed (about 99%) liked the taste of irradiated ground beef. Most said “irradiated ground beef tastes just like regular ground beef.” About 98% of respondents describe the taste as “excellent,” “great” and “delicious.” 

The Beef Checkoff Program’s irradiation education project has turned out to be particularly timely, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently offering school officials in the nation's 93,000 schools the option to offer 25 million children irradiated ground beef in school lunch programs. Through the education programs led by ANCW volunteers, parents, teachers, school administrators and foodservice personnel can get answers to their associated questions.

"Safety is most important when serving ground beef to minors, the elderly and persons with a compromised immune system," said Susie Magnuson, ANCW president. "Comments and questions about irradiated ground beef need to have an informative and friendly response from a trained industry spokesperson." More than 350 ANCW members have received special training about irradiation.

In reviewing the survey results, Magnuson, an Eaton, Colorado beef producer, was particularly surprised to learn that nearly half of the respondents were unable to identify the proper cooking temperature for ground beef.  “Furthermore, surveys shows that almost 95 percent of consumers do not use a thermometer on a regular basis to check cooking temperature of ground beef,” says Magnuson.

“While not a substitute for proper meat handling and sanitation, irradiation of ground beef provides another layer of food safety protection for the consumer,” she said.

On behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, ANCW is planning additional education events at state fairs in Delaware, New York, Maryland, Missouri, and Minnesota as well as at the Connecticut Women’s Expo.