Meat Industry Asks FSIS to Delay Non-O157 Testing

In a public teleconference Thursday, the meat industry criticized the government's new plan to test beef trim and ground beef for six more strains of pathogenic E. coli in addition to O157:H7 - the only one now considered an adulterant. Consumer groups, however, cautioned against any delay.
On Sept. 12, the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced its intention to begin testing beef for six strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli -- O26, O103, O45, O111, O121 and O145 -- known as the Big Six. Testing is scheduled to begin in March, which meat producers say is too soon.
Several beef exporters joined in the teleconference, saying their countries don't see the six STECs as a major problem and that the testing requirement could disrupt trade. A representative from the Meat Importer Council of America noted that World Trade Organization rules require food-safety regulations to be grounded in science, adding "It's our view that the determination of the other six STECs to be adulterants is not justified by the data and is premature in its implementation."

Shauna Voss

Veterinary Public Health Resident

Center for Animal health and Food Safety

NCFPD