Food safety and rare burgers

Madam, – We have been informed by the HSE that we cannot offer our customers the choice of how they want their Irish organic…

Madam, – We have been informed by the HSE that we cannot offer our customers the choice of how they want their Irish organic beef burger cooked (Home News, January 18th). The burgers need to reach 75 degrees Celsius core temperature (well done). The HSE informed us that in the US beef is irradiated and so it can be served medium rare there.

We pride ourselves on using as much Irish produce as we can, including Irish organic beef (the highest grade) and we refuse to blast it with radiation as an implied alternative by the HSE. Regardless of the fact Ireland has no facilities to do this and we would have to import possibly irradiated foreign beef! This country needs to grow up and help promote the outstanding produce we do have.

I cook my burgers for my own consumption medium rare, I continue to live in fear of Mustapha Mond, not the beef. – Yours, etc,

JONATHAN DOCKRELL,

Gourmet Burger Company,

Ranelagh,

Dublin 6.