The Wisconsin officials have
issued a health warning for people and fans of uncooked meat. They have been
told to avoid consumption of uncooked meat as part of the holiday tradition due
to its potential to cause infections.
The Wisconsin Department of
Health Services public warning
The Wisconsin Department of
Health Services has issued a public notice in people interest. It states that
residents should avoid eating cannibal sandwiches this season. These are made
of raw meat, tiger meat, or steak tartare. It is a tradition to consume this
type of uncooked meat sandwiches during the holidays. But the health
authorities have stated that it could be infections. They said on a Facebook
post on Saturday 12 December 2020:
"Many Wisconsin families
consider them to be a holiday tradition, but eating them poses a threat for
Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter and Listeria bacteria that can make
you sick,"
 |
| Cannibal sandwich [Source: Wisconsin Public Radio] |
The department added:
"Remember, ground beef
should ALWAYS be cooked to an internal temperature of 160° F."
The Health Department of
Wisconsin has issued this warning since there have been eight outbreaks of
infection following consumption of raw ground beef meat in the state since
1986. In December 1994, it was a salmonella outbreak and had affected nearly
150 people in the state.
Cannibal sandwiches-what are
they?
It is a hot favorite holiday
culinary traditions in Wisconsin. These sandwiches have raw meat inside and are often served with raw
onions. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that is a part of the USA TODAY
Network, have listed these cannibal sandwiches as Wisconsin’s favorite holiday
culinary traditions in the year 2018.  |
| Cannibal sandwich [Source: Independent UK] |
The tradition in Wisconsin
As part of this seasonal tradition,
hundreds of people in the Midwest part of the USA take part in this annual
event. The 2018 US Department of Agriculture has posted a blog on this. This
offers some tips for eating these sandwiches safely. They state:
"If cannibal sandwiches are
a tradition in your home, try this safe alternative: cook the ground beef with
the same spices and toppings, until it reaches 160°F, and serve it on top of
bread or crackers. You may be surprised to find that it tastes better when
cooked! Not to mention, you won’t be risking a trip to the hospital with every
mouthful."
 |
| Cannibal sandwich [Source: MLive] |
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Other food safety tips from the
Wisconsin and federal health officials are:
As regards Eggnog, they say that
raw eggs have a potential risk of transmission of salmonella. Cooking the egg
kills these bacteria and hence raw eggs should be avoided. Besides, if eggnog
is left at room temperature for many hours and then consumed, it can make
people ill. Hence they suggest pasteurized eggnog beverages that are sold in
shops and are kept refrigerated.
Also one should not eat raw
cookie dough and batter that are made of flour or eggs. These may have harmful
bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Many companies manufacture
edible cookie dough in which heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs are added
or there is no egg. These can be consumed safely.
CDC has stated that one should
not wash raw chicken since the germs from it can enter other food or utensils
in the kitchen area.
All types of foods should be
taken in a cooked form whether it is meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, or eggs.
Also, foods such as roasts, chops, steaks, and fresh ham that are removed from
oven or grill should rest outside for 3 minutes before consumption.
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