Thanks for the links Speqtuer. There was some new information in there, as well as some things I hadn’t thought about for a while. I agree with you that if you are going to make raw (or cooked) beef a major part of your diet you should be eating grass fed beef. I was coming from the point of view of someone who rarely eats meat, or is just trying out raw meat.
For me, the health effects of eating my neighbors beef, which I know is fed corn (bad), as well as hay, are negligible compared to the environmental effects of finding 100% grass fed beef. I also know that while they are not free-range, they are not in huge feedlots and are handled with some degree of respect and consideration. Because I do not rely on meat for my well being, I worry more about how the animal was treated (and I know that a diet of corn or soy has negative effects on the animals health), and what negative effects it caused to the environment.
As for “bad” bacteria - I should have been more clear. I didn’t mean to condemn the bacteria itself as “bad”, in my view, it is just a creature in the world like you or me trying to do what it has evolved to do. I meant that people who want a pleasant experience from eating raw meant should be careful of organisms that can make humans feel very uncomfortable - and such organisms do exist - such as giardia (which I have experienced (though not from eating tainted meat), and parasites from raw river fish (which I have experienced) and just plain old “bad” clams (which I have experienced). Again, my advice was meant for what I thought was someone whose main diet would not consist of raw meat, and would have little ability to build up resistance that humans surely once had. The meat industry knows that people cook their meat, and they handle it carelessly as a result.
This is why I would never eat a hunk of raw ground beef from the supermarket. I do however, if offered in a situation where it would be rude to refuse, eat raw meat from the supermarket that was handled carefully with the expectation that people would be eating it raw.
I think your advice is completely applicable for anyone who intends to make meat a major component of their diet, be it raw or cooked. But if someone is not used to eating raw meat, I suggest not just getting a slab from the supermarket and digging in. Make sure you know the history - both what it was fed (if you will be eating a lot) and how carefully it was treated from the time it was killed to the time it reached your lips (especially if you only want to try it).