New York University’s student newspaper, Washington Square News, assured students this morning that meat served in their dining hall has not been part of the recent recall of Topp’s brand frozen ground beef patties linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7.

The students didn’t seem too concerned, however. As one freshman revealed to the student reporter, "I don’t think it’s likely that an outbreak of E. coli would happen here because NYU is pretty health conscious."

While I’m glad they have confidence in their dining hall, I don’t believe that being health conscious will keep deadly pathogens out of their food.

Good hygiene practices and proper heating will, though. And another freshman at the university found peace of mind  in those  characteristics of the dining hall: "I know that NYU has strict requirements about heating the meat at a high enough temperature to kill bacteria," he said, "And NYU always claims how clean and healthy their kitchens are…"

Students should know that using a food thermometer to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160F is the only way to ensure its safety. So, stick it in! And wash your hands: Don’t eat poop.