Food Safety Experts Want USDA to Dig Deeper When Tests Find E coli 0157:H7 in Meat
Food safety advocates have asked Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for a policy change when routine inspections turn up positive tests in meat for E. coli O157:H7.
They are calling for a shift to deeper investigations — a reform supported by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen. Such a move would better safeguard consumers, especially amid a spate of beef recalls. Already since December 24, 2009, more than 1 million pounds of beef have been recalled after USDA testing in plants found beef E. coli poisoning.
When positive test results are found in connection with a beef E. coli outbreak or other foodborne disease, USDA launches a comprehensive investigation to find the root cause. Those probes are carried out with layers of assistance form Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health departments and sometimes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
But an in-depth story by Chicago Tribune reporter Steve Mills questions why investigators don’t also kick out the jams when inspectors for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) detect E. coli O157:H7 in finished meat samples at packing and processing plants. It does not appear unreasonable given the small number of positive test results.
In 2009, for instance, there were 41 positive results from more than 11,600 tests, the Tribune reported. Six of those positive tests occurred at five facilities in Illinois. Since 2001, the highest number of positive E. coli O157:H7 test results was 59.
Deeper investigations are especially needed when E. coli O157:H7 inspections are positive in ground beef. Ground beef is made from various lots of meat that are combined at a grinding facility. The lots are frequently divided and sold to a number of different grinding locations. Safety advocates told the Tribune those facts highlight the need to work backward to identify the source of contamination, so tainted meat from other facilities does not reach consumers.
“There’s ironclad evidence that contaminated product is out there, but they don’t do a full investigation,” said Felicia Nestor, a senior policy analyst at the food safety group Food & Water Watch, which also signed the letter to Vilsack. “It’s unconscionable.”
“Why are they doing these investigations if they’re not doing them to put their arms around all the product and find out what went wrong?” asked Donna Rosenbaum, executive director of Safe Tables Our Priority.
A spokesman for FSIS told the Tribune that the agency will “continue working on refining traceability methods and approaches to meat inspections.” Officials are planning a public meeting, tentatively scheduled for March, to discuss approaches to meat inspections.
Tags: beef recall, e. coli ground beef
