The price of beef is soaring.
In August of 2024, Americans were paying about $5.58 a pound for ground beef, according to the Federal Reserve Bank.
This August, it was at $6.32 a pound. That’s a jump of about 13%.
“I like a sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce,” said Daniel Kahn.
“We love a ribeye on the grill, then ground beef, burgers,” Eric Gifford said.
As they shell out the big bucks, customers probably aren’t thinking about the possibility of chemicals or microplastics in their meat.
But research published this summer in the journal NPJ Science Food found microplastics shed by food packaging are getting in our food and drinks.
And a study by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2023 found one or more types of chemicals known as PFAS in at least 45% of the nation’s tap water.
“Do you think about chemicals in your food?” KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked.
“I really don’t, honestly,” Gifford said.
Ryan Babadi, Science Director at Toxic-Free Future, thinks that maybe more people should.
In addition to PFAS, “other examples of chemicals and plastics that we should be concerned about include phthalates and bisphenols like BPA that are associated with a number of health outcomes including cancer and endocrine disruption,” he said.
Babadi said any of these chemicals could make their way into your meat.
Studies cited by the state of Washington say exposure can lead to issues with development for kids and with reproduction.
These chemicals can get into food through water and irrigation systems, at processing facilities, and from packaging.
The UDSA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service checks for bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella.
But KIRO 7 found out that it also started testing beef for PFAS in 2019.
The USDA told KIRO 7 that it tests about a thousand samples a year. Since it started, the USDA said less than 0.2% of beef samples tested positive for PFAS with none of them positive last year.
It calls the program “exploratory” and said no regulatory levels for PFAS have been set at this time.
So how do you choose something that reduces your risk of exposure?
“I try and look for products that are fresh and don’t contain packaging,” Babadi said. “Try and consume foods that aren’t ultra-processed or packaged-- that’s a safe bet.”
Babadi said he also tries to make sure once he gets the food home, it doesn’t come in contact with more plastics.
That means using a wooden cutting board instead of plastic, storing your food in a glass container if you can, and not heating up any plastic packaging, even if it says microwave safe.
He said you can also use cleaning products with the Safer Choice logo.
That shows they don’t have specific harmful chemicals in them-- chemicals that could end up a surface that touches your food.
“You know, you want to cut down on exposure to these chemicals however way you can,” Babadi said.
There are some changes underway, too.
Toxic-Free Future’s website has a list of restaurant chains that already have or are in the midst of phasing out PFAS from their packaging.
“You don’t need it to be anti-grease,” shopper Daniel Kahn said of fast-food packaging. “You just need it hold the burger for like a minute, then I’m just going to devour it.”
And Babadi points to action from Washington state restricting the use of certain chemicals in items, including drink cans.
“But there’s more work to be done,” Babadi said. “There are safer alternatives that are available. They shouldn’t be in the products to begin with. They don’t belong in our food, and they don’t belong in their bodies.”Salmonella
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