Controlling Ground Beef E coli Requires Test and Hold
Despite the chronic reoccurrence of ground beefE. colioutbreaks caused by meatpackers large and small, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) does not mandate that meat plants hold product pending test results for pathogens.
Instead, we as a society depend on beef and poultry plants to follow the “best practice” of testing and holding product — something FSIS is stressing again in a newsletter it publishes for small meatpackers. The lead article in the current issue of “Small Plant News” is entitled “Make ‘Test and Hold’ an Integral Part of Your Operation.”
“Test and hold” is a relatively simple concept: test product for E. coli O157:H7 and other adulterants; wait for the results; then ship the product after results come back negative. But what about the small plant owner who sells product on the same day for immediate use? What about establishments that make product with a short shelf life? Or those plants with little to no space to store product while waiting for results? Is “test and hold” an option for them?
The simple answer — one supported by the American Association of Meat Processors — comes down to a matter of ability—if you can hold product, you should do so.
In its message to small plants, FSIS said there is an upward trend in pathogen-related recalls in recent years — including many ground beef E. coli recalls associated with deadly ground beef E. coli outbreaks . The trend should have more plants considering the importance of holding tested product and incorporating the practice into their testing program, FSIS said.
The article quoted Dr. Jay Wenther, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors, as saying “test and hold” programs are like good insurance. “You’ll wish you had it when you need it,” he said.
Wenther said small meat plants shouldn’t take the issue lightly. Taking steps to hold tested product at your establishment will protect you and your consumers, he said.
Tags: e. coli ground beef, e. coli hus
