Less chance of E. coli
Recent studies suggest a link between beef finished on grain and the development of deadlier strains of E. coli. According to a study done by microbiologists at Cornell University, feeding grain in the weeks before slaughter creates a higher acid level in the colon, fostering the development of acid resistant strains of E. coli. Although E. coli occurs naturally in our digestive tract, it is these acid resistant strains that our stomach acids cannot always overcome. The research also showed that if the cattle were switched from grain to fresh grass or hay for as little as five days, the deadly, acid resistant strains all but disappeared.
