Beef in France?
 

Hi Everybody, <BR> <BR>Is it safe to eat beef in France, with the "mad cow disease" and all? <BR> <BR>Appreciate your input. <BR> <BR>Guy

Guy- <BR> I was in France at the end of June and ate beef. I am fine, the beef was fine. I might be careful of meat from anyplace that looked questionable-ie dirty just as I would here. Have a great time.

AGM, <BR>Not to sound alarmist, but the effects of mad cow disease can take up to 10 years to show up. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Actually, the effects can take even longer than that to show. Just traveled to England and couldn't believe that no one seemed the slightest bit concerned about "mad cow disease". <BR> <BR>By the way, I wouldn't eat ANYTHING from some place that looked questionable.

Ah, well I could hit by a car tomorrow. The food was fabulous and worth it. Maybe by then they will have a cure. And also my motto is "what me worry?"

Depends on your perspective. The risk is not zero but is very very low (odds one in a couple million or billion or something like that, in France). I'm a public health professional so get periodic journals and newsletters on various world health issues, including this one. Last month they gave out an interesting link to track all cases in the world, it's the World Organization for Animal Health (headquartered in Paris, www.oie.int) or Office International des Epizooties. This particular page enumerates cases worldwide, most in Great Britain of course (then Ireland, Portugal and France, as I recall), but I was surprised there were about 160 in France last year: www.oie.int/eng/info/en_esb.htm If I remember, 1992 was the peak year, about 36,000 cases in Great Britain that year. For more clinical discussion and advice, visit the travelers' health page of the Centers for Disease Control, and look in the disease section under BSE, the technical name of the disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy): www.cdc.gov I was in France last month and ate beef myself; I rarely eat the kind of meet they say may have a higher risk in any case (sausage, chopped meat you don't know what it is, etc, brains, etc.) I did eat calves' liver though as I like that, so there you go. I might be more cautious in Great Britain myself, though, although I understand these statistical risks. It can take years for it to show up and manifest itself in the disease form it becomes in people (it's a virus).

I was typing too fast for my thoughts, not that it matters, but I don't think it is classified as a virus; in any case, I looked up the odds and they are around one in 10 billion servings (in Great Britian).

Spent three weeks in Europe last May in Germany,Austria, and Paris. We too were concerned about mad cow. Our German friends didn't show too much concern, however, they recommended eating only the "muscle" (steak, chops, ribs) as opposed to organs or brains. <BR> <BR>We decided that we could get through 3 weeks without beef. I don't find the beef in Europe that great anyway... <BR>We ate lots of pork, fish, seafood and were fine. <BR>Our first Sunday home we enjoyed two huge grilled steaks!! <BR>Happy travels.

This may be a bit tangential to this topic but there is some good news. Just today on French TV (TF1) there is a story about a young Englishwoman who has been successfully treated for Kreutzfeld-Jacob, the human form of BSE. It seems that her father contacted a doctor (Posiner?) in California, a Nobel laureate, who used an experimental treatment to which she has responded. She had been unable to move and is now walking. They caution, however, that this may be only a temporary remission of the disease, but since it is the first time there has been any success in treating this disease, it is good news.

The beef in France is perfectly safe to eat now. The scare has pretty much filtered it out of the market. Almost all the cases of Mad Cow's Disease in humans are due to the eating of the cow's brain and not the meat. The disease really doesn't get into the meat itself - it is found in the brain and spinal cord which is why all ribbed meat is now banned in France. Regular cuts are safe and always have been. Eat the beef - it is great in France.

There is also a cross-cantamination risk due to the messy process of slaughtering--- kosher beef is okay as the method of slaughter is different (I really don't want to get into the details of all that). Cuts of meat can reasonably be considered safe, but I would still stay clear of ground meats.

Don't know if I really need to add this, but of course, don't eat the BRAIN.