990345 Meat Industry Issues E. Coli Testing Proposal

Washington - US meatpackers proposed this week to test one out of every 300 cattle carcasses for a deadly strain of E. coli bacteria as a way of stepping up efforts to prevent food-borne illness.

The experimental program was developed by the industry after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in January that it might broaden a federal policy to make more kinds of beef subject to strict food safety rules.

Consumer groups endorsed the idea of more voluntary testing by meat plants, but expressed concern that the rate of testing proposed by the industry may not be high enough.

Since 1994, raw ground beef found contaminated with the E. coli 0157:H7 strain has been deemed adulterated under federal law.

The definition of adulterated is important because it provides for stiff penalties if a consumer becomes ill from consuming contaminated meat. It also sets into motion a costly and time-consuming recall process if random testing by the USDA detects tainted beef.

Rare but dangerous, E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria can cause serious illness and death in children or those with weak immune systems.

The biggest US meatpackers -- Excel Corp., IBP Inc. and ConAgra -- unveiled a proposed pilot program at a USDA public hearing after acknowledging that the industry must become “more aggressive” in combating E. coli 0157:H7.

“The logical control monitoring point is the carcass or as early in the process as possible,” said Dean Danielson, an IBP executive who spoke on behalf of the coalition of meat processors and retailers.

Under the industry plan, meatpackers would test one out of every 300 cattle carcasses for possible contamination with the bacteria. All of the data collected during testing -- immediately after slaughter and again after carcasses are heated to high temperatures -- would be given to the USDA.

Dell Allen, an executive at an Excel plant in Texas, said the pilot program would generate about 94,000 E. coli 0157:H7 tests on the 35 million head of cattle slaughtered annually.

“The logical point to check for contamination is the chokepoint in the production chain, which is the carcass,” Allen said.

Once an animal is slaughtered at a typical large plant, it is combined with 4,000 other carcasses for processing. A single day's production totals more than 2.6 million pounds of beef, which is sent to dozens of distributors, processors and international customers.

“This kind of carcass by carcass testing should have been done 5 years ago,” said Caroline Smith de Waal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. “It's an important step but it should not take the place of government regulation.”

Tom Billy, head of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said the threat of E. coli 0157:H7 is so great that it “requires aggressive oversight.”

Billy declined to comment on the unexpected proposal from the meat industry, saying the agency's public comment period on its own proposal is due to close on March 22.

The changes proposed by the USDA in January would expand the rules to cover beef trimmings, cubed stew meat and tenderized raw meat, and could hold grocery stores and restaurants responsible for preventing contamination.

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