The US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said yesterday, October 23rd, that is was taking “aggressive action” in the fight against E. coli O157:H7, following recent outbreaks in contaminated ground beef products. The actions include more testing and faster product recalls, said FSIS in a press release.

US Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard A. Raymond, said:

“We want the American consumer to know that FSIS has taken a number of aggressive actions to respond to a recent increase in E. coli O157:H7 recalls and illnesses associated with this pathogen and we are further expanding these efforts.”

In June this year FSIS noticed there was a higher than usual incidence of E. Coli O157:H7 in tests on beef, plus a larger than usual number of recalls and reports of illnesses related to the bacteria compared with previous years.

This prompted the agency to increase testing of ground beef for E. coli O157:H7 by more than 75 percent in July and to start follow up testing of federally inspected beef plants that had tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Schemes scheduled for spring of 2008 were brought forward, as were plans to review suppliers and processors according to a new checklist. These are to start as soon as relevant staff complete the training which starts next week.

Under Secretary Raymond said that:

“Lessons learned from a number of recalls including the recent Topps recall emphasized the need for us to do even more to strengthen our policies and programs.”

“We also realized that to make risk-based inspection in processing most effective, we need to strengthen our database that will support that system,” he added.

In order to speed up the overall detection and containment process, FSIS has identified the steps necessary to make sure inspection staff and the industry understand the “nature of the challenge presented by E. coli O157:H7” so suppliers and processors can identify an emerging problem sooner rather than later and prevent contaminated goods going to market.

FSIS has outlined how it intends to tighten up federal inspection of raw beef producers. This includes:

  • Testing and analysis of trim. FSIS suspects, but is awaiting confirmation from lab tests, that beef trim is a source of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. By testing this key ingredient earlier in the production chain it should pre-empt or at least reduce the chance of contamination further down the chain before it reaches consumers. It also provides a source of data essential for analysis and planning actions to reduce the upward recent trends in contamination.

  • Verifying control of E. coli O157:H7. From next month, all beef plants will have to show they are controlling E. coli O157:H7 during slaughter and processing. FSIS has given the industry criteria, with examples, that explain the minimum standards that are required of a “well controlled process”. FSIS will be able to see which plants meet the standards and which do not.

  • New checklist for verifying control. FSIS inspectors will be reviewing suppliers and processors using a new checklist once they have undergone training scheduled to start at the end of this month. Reviews based on the checklists will provide FSIS with quarterly data on significant changes in a plant’s production controls and ensure it takes corrective action.

  • More rapid recalls. These will be possible because FSIS now takes into account more evidence across a broader range of sources in order to decide whether a recall is warranted. FSIS gave examples of recent cases where epidemiological evidence linked illness to opened, FSIS-inspected product found in consumers’ freezers.

  • Targeting routine testing. From January next year, FSIS will start routine E. coli O157:H7 sampling of targeted slaughter and grinding facilities. At present the system is that all plants have an equal chance of being tested. But when the new verification testing program is brought in, FSIS will test facilities that handle larger volumes more frequently than before. They will use results from the reviews using the new checklists to decide how often plants should be tested.

  • Testing more domestic and imported ground beef components. These tests are in addition to the tests on beef trim, the primary component of raw ground beef. Countries supplying ground beef to the US will be required to conduct equivalent tests.

  • Ensuring safety of imported beef products. FSIS has informed countries that export raw beef to the US of the new US federal policies, standards and procedures for reducing E. coli O157:H7 risk and is working with them to make sure they implement the equivalent or better.

FSIS emphasized the importance of strong links with public health, industry, consumers, and inspection staff. This included working with federal partners, small plants and stakeholders in a number of initiatives such as hosting public meetings, holding outreach training, convening experts to keep an eye on E. coli O157:H7 trends, and meeting with state and public health partners to improve the effectiveness of outbreak investigations and recalls.

The Topps Meat Company went out of business earlier this month after recalling over 20 million pounds of beef following the announcement that cases of people being ill from E. coli O157:H7 were linked to its ground beef hamburger products. The company was established in 1940 and was the biggest maker of frozen hamburgers in the US.

Media reports have criticized FSIS for failing to act fast enough after it first got the news that linked the illnesses to the Topps products.

Click here for FSIS.

Written by: Catharine Paddock