Research by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has said that filet americain must be frozen to avoid the risk of diseases such as brain disorders. The RIVM says that eating filet americain or other raw meats can lead to ingesting the toxoplasma parasite and getting an infection called toxoplasmosis, reports RTL Nieuws.
Although most are unaffected by it, those with weakened immune systems like cancer patients and pregnant women can be severely affected. This can lead to miscarriages and premature births, as well as congenital brain and eye disorders.
Around 750 people fall ill yearly due to the infection, with half of these cases being congenital defects. The cause of the infection in 50% of the cases are attributed to eating raw meat.
Invriezen filet americain leidt tot daling ziektelast, zorgkosten en kosten voor speciaal onderwijs https://t.co/2vTaLm8GiX pic.twitter.com/IZX3EPDHPk
— RIVM (@rivm) 15 mei 2019
The RIVM has said that filet americain should be frozen for a minimum of 48 hours at a temperature of 12 degrees below zero before it reaches supermarkets.
They have produced a social cost-benefit analysis for doing this and found that the costs to freeze the meat products are much less than the yields. They argue profit will be achieved through a better quality of life as health care costs will decrease. They estimate a saving of 10 to 30 million euros a year by freezing filet americain, reports NOS.
Here at the Dutch Review, we’re shocked to hear this! We just had filet americain last week at the office. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments, below!