A “cannibal sandwich” considered a holiday option in the state, it consists of raw ground beef on bread with chopped onions, salt and pepper.
But the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) says “eating raw meat is not always recommended because it contains bacteria.” Said in a tweet on Saturday.
The DHS, which publishes this reminder annually, elaborated on its warning in another social media post.
“It’s time for our annual reminder that there is a # Holiday tradition you must pass on: raw meat sandwiches, sometimes called tiger meat or canned sandwiches,” the state Department of Health wrote on Facebook.
“Many Wisconsin families consider them a holiday tradition, but eating them can pose a risk to Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Campylobacter and Listeria bacteria. (And, no, you can buy your beef anywhere!).”
Ground beef should always be cooked at an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, health officials said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a blog post in 2018 that “hundreds of people in the Midwest get sick after eating cannibal sandwiches” every holiday season.
Wisconsin has had eight raw meat-related outbreaks since 1986, including the Salmonella outbreak that affected more than 150 people in December 1994, according to the Wisconsin DHS website.
“It is important to know that eating this type of food is not without risk,” the website says.