OIG Questions E. coli O157:H7 Testing; Still No Approval Of Carcass Irradiation

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Shawn Stevens

In November 2009, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Chairwoman of the House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee, asked the USDA’s Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) to investigate the efficacy of the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (“FSIS”) N-60 sampling method to test beef trim for E. coli O157:H7.

In response, the OIG spent six months, from January to June 2010, auditing the FSIS’s N-60 program, and then issued the first portion of its findings in March 2011. Click on the following link to view a copy of the “Phase I” report. The detailed, 40-page report concludes that FSIS must thoroughly reevaluate its N-60 sampling program for testing beef trim.

The report demonstrates that an incredible amount of work has been done, and remains to be done, by both the OIG and the FSIS on this issue. The OIG has not yet even performed “Phase II” of its investigation. The bottom line is that FSIS will increase the amount of testing it performs for E. coli O157:H7.

While some positive changes will flow from the OIG investigation (perhaps from the Phase II evaluation of whether plants are following proper protocols for their own sampling and testing), there are valid questions about the investigation’s merit. Should so many more resources be invested in the concept of testing when we can never test to zero? As the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in beef continues to decrease, are we just going to continually increase our testing to look for a needle in the haystack that, thankfully, is now rarely present? Can the FSIS rely more heavily on the robust E. coli O157:H7 testing already being done by industry?

Testing is an important part of the validation process, but as OIG concedes, “testing alone cannot suffice to ensure that consumers are safe from a pathogen like E. coli O157:H7.” It is striking that the response to Rep. DeLauro’s request to the OIG regarding N-60 testing was expedited, but the industry’s petition to the FSIS for carcass irradiation has gone unanswered (Despite Safety Benefits, FSIS Delays Approval Of New Food Safety Technology).

Over five years ago, the American Meat Institute (“AMI”) submitted a petition to the FSIS to approve the use of carcass e-beam irradiation technology in meat plants. AMI requested that the petition be granted so that low levels of irradiation could be applied to the surface of chilled beef carcasses as a food safety processing aid. The use of this technology has proven to be an effective measure in reducing the presence of pathogens in raw meat products.

Carcass irradiation is an intervention that could immediately increase the safety of our food. We implore the FSIS to approve carcass irradiation without any further delay.
 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Staphylococcus In Raw Animal Products Likely Creates Little Cause For Concern

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Shawn Stevens

Attention grabbing headlines in recent media reports have suggested that Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) exists in nearly half of U.S. meat.  The authors of a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases recently suggested that “U.S. meat and poultry is widely contaminated.” Researchers collected and analyzed samples of beef, chicken, pork and turkey and reported that nearly half of the samples — 47 percent — were contaminated with S. aureus bacteria, and more than half of those bacteria — 52 percent — were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics.

In turn, many of these stories have improperly questioned the safety of our meat supply.  The study, however, likely creates little cause for concern.

Setting aside the fact that S. aureus are easily destroyed when meat (or any other food products) are cooked properly, American Meat Institute (“AMI”) concluded, and we agree, that the research was also misleading for the following reasons:

  • The study’s small sample size was insufficient to reach the sweeping conclusions conveyed in a press release about the study. The study involved only 136 samples of meat and poultry from 80 brands in 26 retail grocery stores in five U.S. cities. In comparison, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture studies the prevalence of bacteria, their work involves thousands of samples collected over long periods of time to ensure accuracy.
  • Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show steady declines in foodborne illnesses linked to consumption of meat and poultry overall and indicate that human infections with S. aureus comprise less than one percent of total foodborne illnesses.
  • According to a new white paper authored by Ellin Doyle, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin’s Food Research Institute, S. aureus bacteria are found in half of all human nasal passages, and only two foodborne outbreaks of the antibiotic resistant strain of this bacteria (“MRSA”) have been identified and both were attributed to food handlers contaminating food – not to the food source itself.
  • The study criticizes U.S. production methods and suggests that they cause antibiotic resistant bacteria to develop, but Doyle’s white paper documents that similar incidence patterns can be observed in livestock in many countries with a variety of different production methods.

Industry has developed amazing processes and technologies to render American meat and poultry the safest in the world, and consumers can take simple steps to make it even safer. This study made headlines about bacteria being found in “nearly half” of our meat. The reality is, however, that consumers should treat all raw meat as if it contains bacteria. Raw meat must be stored and prepared separately from ready-to-eat foods. Restaurants and homes must have cutting boards designated solely for raw meat. Hands, utensils and any surfaces which come into contact with raw meat must be carefully washed. Finally, cooking raw meat to the proper temperatures will destroy bacteria.

Tags: , , , ,