The Trump Administration recently announced a plan to allow imports of 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings for ground beef from undisclosed countries at a reduced tariff rate. Some social media users have expressed concerns, especially since 30,000 pounds of raw beef products imported from Argentina were recently recalled. The beef was recalled because it entered the United States without the required import reinspection—not because of safety issues—and no illnesses have been reported.

We asked food safety expert Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, a professor and executive director of the Food Security Research Center at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, about whether consumers should be concerned about ground beef safety.

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: With the recent recalls and concerns about beef imports, is ground beef still safe to eat?

Quinlan: I would say it’s absolutely safe to eat. It’s an animal product, so there are always risks—you have to cook it and you don’t want to cross-contaminate—but it’s as safe as it’s ever been. I don’t know why you would take a break from eating it.

Q: Does imported beef have to meet the same safety standards as domestic beef?

Quinlan: It’s a different process, but there’s every reason to think it is as safe. We already import ground beef into the U.S. because some countries have great ground beef, and we want it.

There’s actually an import/export library where you can see which countries can import to the U.S. and what products they can import. The bottom line is that a country has to petition the U.S. to export meat to us. Once that happens, the USDA determines what’s called an “equivalence process.” These countries are not required to have the same process that we have in the U.S., but they must have an established equivalence process to guarantee the same sanitation levels. They must establish that process before importing to the U.S.

The USDA never inspects products in the other country, but when the meat arrives in the U.S., inspectors review the documentation to confirm that the sanitary conditions have been met. They only physically inspect a certain percentage of the product, since there are a limited number of inspectors and a lot of product. The USDA can reject the ground beef during these inspections.

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Q: What’s the safest way to cook ground beef, and is it OK to eat a burger rare or medium?

Quinlan: Cooking beef, whether it’s a meatball, hamburger, or meat loaf, to 160 degrees makes it safe. It’s very unusual, but occasionally beef is recalled due to Shiga toxin–producing E. coli. Once a product’s recalled, you should not consume it. I’m not advocating for that. But if you’re cooking it to 160 degrees regularly, then you should be safe either way.

I know people like their hamburgers rare or medium, but I always say that if you want to take that risk and it’s worth it to you, never impose that risk on a young child or an older adult. Even restaurants now will say to eat at your own risk if you want something cooked below 160 degrees. So the consumer definitely has the final ability to make it safe.

Ground beef is generally riskier because it is made from a mixture of animal parts, so there’s a greater chance the middle has been contaminated. With a steak or a roast, the contamination is most likely on the outside. As long as you sear it to kill any surface contamination, it’s still edible if it’s medium or rare on the inside. However, with ground meat, everything on the surface is incorporated into the middle, so you have to heat the middle. I recommend getting an inexpensive kitchen thermometer so you can check cooking temperatures at home.

When you are cooking with ground meat, always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and don’t cross-contaminate in the kitchen. If you follow these practices, there’s no reason to think that your ground beef isn’t safe.