The Impact of Price and Store Location on the Microbial Contamination of Ground Beef Products in Erie, PA.

With the advent of modern sanitation methods, meat products, such as ground beef, are seen as a largely safe food source. However, microbial contamination of meat is still a large problem with an estimated 1 in 6 Americans getting sick from foodborne diseases each year, resulting in approximately 3,000 deaths (CDC). Food safety may also be a socioeconomic issue, with the pattern of poverty and disease incidence being well documented. This pattern may be detected in more impoverished areas, whose denizens may only have access to lower quality meat that is sold at a cheaper prices and may be more contaminated with potential pathogens. We hypothesize that ground beef of lower quality (i.e., lower % lean and lower cost) will have a higher occurrence of microbial contamination. Additionally, we hypothesize that varying socioeconomic conditions in regions will yield differences in the incidence of microorganisms.