News of a hamburger recall is, thankfully, very rare indeed yet it is worth remembering that any meat product - indeed any food - can be subject to attack by bacteria that cause it to be dangerous.
This is not meant to alarm but to remind lovers of the hamburger that they need to be very careful with the way they store and cook their hamburger meat, and make sure that only the best quality meat from conscientious butchers is used.
A major recall in early 2010 across the US resulted from the discovery of the particularly potent bacteria e.coli in widespread batches of hamburger meat from many different places. As is usually the case, carelessness in storage and preparation had been the cause and it is always a sensible precaution to make sure all your surfaces are regularly cleaned - preferably with anti bacterial cleaners - and that you are sure to cook your ground beef as thoroughly as is recommended.
Cooking hamburgers very rare is not a recommended course of action and one that does involve certain risks, yet it is worth remembering that of the many hundreds of millions of pounds of hamburger meat sold in the USA across the given year very little is subject to recall.
If you do believe that your hamburger meat is the subject of a hamburger recall then do not cook it; return it to the given location in the announcement and make sure you throw away all meat or other products that may have been in contact with it as they, too, may be infected by e.coli.
It is always a cause for alarm when a recall is issued, but thankfully most of us will go through our lives happily eating home cooked hamburgers without any ill effect; still, it is better to be safe than sorry, so be aware, and pay attention to hygiene.
