Stop Eating 'Cannibal Sandwich': Why Wisconsin Prohibits This Traditional Dish

The tradition goes hand in hand with belief, faith, and culture which is typically passed down by the elders to the younger generation as their legacy.

Culture and Tradition vary from different groups of people, and because the world has a diverse group of people, it only makes sense that every nation has its ways of celebrating life.

In different countries, different festivities and beliefs are being celebrated every year, which different ways are also exhibited for every celebration. One of these celebrations is the favorite holiday from the State of Wisconsin in the United States, where their citizens take part in eating a 'cannibal sandwich', or raw meat on a piece of bread or a toast.

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On eating 'Cannibal Sandwich'

(Photo : Joe Raedle)
Robert Laurenzo weighs an order of ground beef for a customer at Laurenzo's Italian Center on January 13, 2014 in North Miami Beach, Florida. Although the store has been able keep costs down, across the rest of country the price of U.S. beef at wholesale has set new record highs,, with tight supplies affected by the recent harsh weather that reduced the number of cattle coming to market in parts of the country.

CNN reports that health officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health encourage and warns their constituents in their Facebook and Twitter posts to forego consuming their traditional holiday dish, to prevent themselves from getting sick.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services highlights in their posts that eating the traditional dish will make an individual have a high risk of getting Salmonella, E.coli O157:H7, and Listeria bacteria that can make an individual fell ill.

However, the health department's reminders on the risks of eating raw meat garner attention from the netizens where different opinions were given. One of the netizens posted that he will still eat the traditional dish even if he respects the State's Department of Health.

Another netizen adds in the comment section that in eating the cannibal sandwich for over 60 years, he had no problems at all. Another netizen jokingly links romaine lettuce in her comment asking if eating it should be stopped due to its annual recall linking the vegetable to mortality.

NBC Chicago reports that the health department says that ground beef should be cooked to a hundred- and sixty-degrees Fahrenheit then provides a link for food safety tips and guides.

The news site adds that the state of Wisconsin has linked eight outbreaks from eating raw ground beef dishes since 1986. They also pointed out a large Salmonella outbreak concerning 150 people during December 1994.

Effects of Eating raw beef

Although some people claim the raw beef to be safe, Healthline notes that there is no guarantee that raw meat dishes are safe to be eaten. They add that consuming them can harbor illness-causing bacteria, making the consumer prone to food poisoning.

WebMD adds going to the extremes of eating beef raw can be unsafe. Eatright.org emphasizes that the process of grinding the meat can introduce harmful illness-causing bacteria on the meat surface to the ground meat.

They also point out that pregnant women, children, older adults, and people with the weakened immune system must avoid all raw and undercooked meats.

Tradition should be respected and looked back, but when it poses dangers to you and your family, having second thoughts about doing it and participating in these traditions should be considered. Traditions may be ideal to be enjoyed in the comfort of your homes, and not in your local hospitals.

Check out more news and information on Food Poisoning and Bacterial Infection on MD News Daily.