030112 Cattle Industry Targets E. ColiJanuary 9, 2003USA TODAY - The cattle industry ended a summit in San Antonio by calling for a series of actions to reduce and eventually eliminate the deadly food-borne pathogen E. coli O157:H7 in the beef supply. But critics called the steps too vague, noting that there is no time-table and no accountability. E. coli outbreaks have caused thousands of illnesses and numerous deaths over the past decade. But recent changes in meat processing have helped reduce contaminations. In a report in April 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reported a 21% decline in E. coli cases since 2000. In the pledge signed by 200 attendees, the industry vowed to: * Work to develop a vaccine for E. coli infections. * Ensure that meat tests negative for E. coli before it is ground for hamburger. * Introduce pathogen control for suppliers of restaurant beef. * Include better information for consumers on cooking temperatures and use of thermometers. ''I am confident that the farm-to-table solutions identified at this summit will help us further reduce and eventually eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in the beef supply,'' says Terry Stokes, CEO of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The goals sound good, but they're meaningless because they're voluntary, says Felicia Nestor of the Government Accountability Project, a watchdog group. ''It sounds like it was a real feel-good meeting down there, but I'm not convinced that consumers are any safer than before.'' Work on an E. coli vaccine has been going on for more than two years. Despite progress, a vaccine is years away. And though cooking beef thoroughly removes the bug, it shouldn't be there in the first place, says Steve Bjerklie, editor of Meat Processor magazine. ''Putting the responsibility on the consumer when there's a regulatory system that's supposed to guarantee the wholesomeness and the safety of the product is not right,'' he says.
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