Mechanically tenderized beef that is sold in Canada must now be labelled as such and include safe cooking instructions.
The new regulations, which come into effect May 15, follow an E. coli O157 outbreak in 2012 at the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta.
The contaminated beef, which was linked to 18 cases of illness, had been mechanically tenderized by retailers.
The safe cooking instructions re-quired by the regulations recommend that the internal temperature of the meat reach 63 C.
Processors, food services and re-tailers commonly use mechanical tenderization to improve the tenderness and flavour of cooked beef.
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The practice uses needles or blades to pierce the meat’s surface or inject it with marinade or tenderizing solution.
It is impossible for consumers to see if mechanical tenderization has taken place.
The process can increase the risk of food-borne illness if the surface of the meat is contaminated with bacteria, which can be transferred from the surface to the centre of the meat.
Health Canada completed a health risk assessment on E. coli O157 in mechanically tenderized beef last year, which found a five-fold increase in risk from mechanically tenderized beef compared to intact cuts of beef.
E.coli O157 can cause vomiting and diarrhea and lead to kidney failure.
“The assessment also identified that without labels, it is difficult for Canadians to identify which products have been mechanically tenderized,” said the Canada Gazette information.
The government announced last May that it planned to implement mandatory labelling for all mechanically tenderized beef products sold in Canada.
The following month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture an-nounced proposals to require labelling and cooking instructions on mechanically tenderized beef.
An analysis from the U.S. estimated that mechanical tenderization labelling would prevent 34 cases of food-borne illness a year.
About 41 of the 426 federally inspected meat processing facilities in the United States use mechanical beef tenderizing, while 37 of 389 non-federally registered facilities are thought to use the practice.
Health Canada does not know how many retailers package or repackage tenderized beef products.
The Canada Gazette statement said the proposals should reduce the number of recalls for tenderized beef products.
Marty Carpenter, executive director of market development with Canada Beef, said tenderization is safe if done correctly.
