Hamburger meat almost always contains poop

Consumer Reports unveiled a new report Monday that doesn't look so good for meat eaters. The magazine bought 458 pounds of ground beef from various sources across the country and tested all 300 packages for five common types of bacteria.

The verdict is in, and every last pound of the meat they tested was contaminated with fecal matter. And poop is far from the only widespread issue at hand. About 20 percent had C. perfringens, a bacteria that leads to 1 million cases of food poisoning each year, and 10 percent had S. aureus, a toxin-producing bacteria that can't be cooked out of meat.

Consumer Reports recommends avoiding the 97 percent of meat raised conventionally in feedlots. Instead, opt for grass-fed organic beef, which is less likely to contain the bacteria listed above, salmonella, and superbugs (but yes, it'll still probably contain poop). Plus, farmers who subscribe to sustainable methods not only produce healthier meat, but also treat animals more humanely and do less damage to the environment. Another way to lessen the odds you'll get sick is simply by cooking meat more thoroughly.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Put down that medium-rare burger and read the full report here.