Consumers Wonder Where To Find Safe Meat?

By Josh Simeone J.Simeone@krdo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS – Many consumers now wonder just who to trust in the search to find safe meat that isn’t contaminated.

Whole Foods recently announced a voluntary recall of fresh ground beefpurchased fromsome of its stores nationwide from June 2nd to August 6th. The company says on its website that concerns of the threat of E. Coli bacteria forced the recall. Whole Foods says the beef in question came from a plant in Nebraska.

The recall is not impacting Whole Foods stores in Colorado, according to the company’s website.

But for consumers, the question remains; who can you trust for safe meat?

Kathy Micci, owner of Cy’s Drive-In Restaurant in Colorado Springs doesn’t take any chances with her meat. She buys from Callicrate Beef, known by many as Ranch Foods Direct in Colorado Springs.

“We’ve got a lot of people that come in here with their children,” Micci says. “They trust us to serve quality product that’s not going to do any harm.”

Micci has been asked by national distributors to buy their meat, but she always refuses – she prefers to buy from a local seller who knows exactly where the meat comes from and how it’s handled. “You don’t have beef from hundreds of different places, so you lessen the likelihood of having infected animals.”

In just a single day, Cy’s goes through more than 70 pounds of different kinds of beef products, so for Micci, trust is extremely important.

It’s also a philosophy that Clifford Telle, owner of the Colorado Steak Company in Colorado Springs takes to heart.

You just don’t want to tell a customer this is the best meat you can possibly get and it’s not,” Telle says.

Telle makes it a priority to communicate directly with the people providing him with his meat. He tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 he knows exactly where the meat is coming from, how it was handled, and what’s in it before it hits the shelves. Telle says it’s important to ask questions before you buy to ensure you’re getting the safest meat.

“It’s just very important that we know where this meet is coming from.”

Telle says he’ll provide his customers with contact information for his suppliers in case they have any questions of their own. He believes with the latest recall, more consumers will turn to local places to buy meat.

Listed below are some helpful links that can provide more information regarding the latest recall and questions concerning meat and safety. There’s also a link to the Whole Foods website that will take you directly to the press release regarding its voluntary beef recall.

For more information on the beef recall from Whole Foods, click here.

For more information on safe beef handling instructions from the U.S.D.A., click here.

For more information on the Colorado Steak Company, click here.

For more information on Ranch Foods Direct, click here.