000524 Increased Testing Causes Meat Recalls to Soar

Washington - Recalls of processed meat products are soaring because of stepped up government testing for a deadly bacterium and the refusal of processors to delay shipment of products until the results of the tests are known.

Twenty-three recalls have been issued since October 1, the beginning of the government's 2000 fiscal year, for hot dogs, deli meats and products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. That compares to 25 for fiscal 1999, five for all of 1998 and three in 1997.

The Agriculture Department, which randomly samples processed meat products for listeria, doubled the testing rate in 1999 and also is using more sensitive methods for detecting the bacterium. Companies are urged to delay shipment of products that are being tested by USDA rather than risk having to recall the meat.

“We've made it clear that with our increased sampling and better methods we're much more likely to find a positive,” said Thomas Billy, administrator of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The increased number of recalls doesn't necessarily mean that listeria is more prevalent, said Billy. The percentage of positive listeria tests actually dropped last year for many products, including hot dogs.

The National Food Processors Association also advises companies whose products are being tested for listeria to delay shipment until the results are known. “To us, it just makes good sense to hold these products until the results are in,” said Dane Bernard, vice president of the group.

Plants that ship the meat anyway are “rolling the dice,” he said.

Listeria is estimated to kill 500 Americans a year and sicken 2,000 more. It causes flu-like symptoms in most healthy people, but it can be serious in the young, old or weak. In pregnant women, the bacterium can cause miscarriage or stillbirth even if the mother feels no symptoms.

President Clinton announced a series of steps that the government is taking to cut down on the incidence of listeria and reduce listeria-caused illnesses by one-half over the next five years. Those measures will include requiring plants to check for listeria contamination regularly to make sure their sanitation systems are working.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service held a public meeting Monday on its strategy for reducing listeria problems.

An outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 killed 15 people and sickened at least 100 and was traced to meat processed at a Sara Lee Corp. plant in Michigan. The company recalled 15 million pounds of hot dogs and lunch meats, and USDA ordered plants nationwide to revamp their processing methods to prevent listeria contamination.

Many of the listeria recalls this year have been relatively small. One in March was for 80 pounds of cooked corn beef and ham that had tested positive for listeria during USDA inspection.

Later that month, Sara Lee recalled 34,500 pounds of Ball Park-brand hot dogs after a military laboratory found listeria in a package that had been distributed to an Army commissary.

In 1999, 1.8% of the hot dogs and similar products that were tested by USDA contained listeria, down from 3.5% in 1998.

Similarly, the incidence of listeria in large sausage products that were tested, including bologna and salami, dropped from 1.2% to 0.4%.

The incidence of listeria in sliced ham and beef products went up in 1999. Some 4.6% of the sliced ham that was tested by USDA contained listeria, up from 4.2% in 1998. The incidence in roast beef and corned beef products went up from 2.2% to 2.7%.

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