Shame on me, I never went on to read the Consumer Reports original until now, and the site is down. Fortunately the CR report was reprinted by Consumerist:
http://consumerist.com/2015/08/24/how...
"All 458 pounds of beef we examined contained bacteria that signified fecal contamination (enterococcus and/or nontoxin-producing E. coli), which can cause blood or urinary tract infections. Almost 20 percent contained C. perfringens, a bacteria that causes almost 1 million cases of food poisoning annually. Ten percent of the samples had a strain of S. aureus bacteria that can produce a toxin that can make you sick. That toxin can’t be destroyed—even with proper cooking."
One important detail that was left out in the news article I posted originally: some bacteria levels were notably lower in the "sustainable" samples (organic or grass-fed) than with conventional ones, particularly (and not surprisingly) when it comes to the superbugs.
This is a long read and I've just skimmed so far, but it goes into some pretty thorough detail about how the system works and how the problems arise.
Shame on me, I never went on to read the Consumer Reports original until now, and the site is down. Fortunately the CR report was reprinted by Consumerist:
http://consumerist.com/2015/08/24/how...
"All 458 pounds of beef we examined contained bacteria that signified f...
