USDA admits E. coli testing methods are ineffective

The USDA admits its testing method for E. coli bacteria is inadequate and must be changed to ensure food is reaching consumers safely.

E. coli poisoning is responsible for thousands of cases of food poisoning in the U.S. each year.

USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong said a recent audit on E. coli testing done by Food Safety And Insepction Services employees on beef trim showed the federal means of establishing whether that produce was safe to eat was not effective. Fong said results did not “yield a statistical precision this is reasonable for food safety.”
Beef trim is an important part of the nation’s food supply. It is a chief component in great amounts of ground beef sold across the country. If tests can not accurately detect E. coli bacteria, the potential to contaminate large suppiles of food are possible.

The admission by the head of the USDA is welcome news to the advocacy group Food & Water Watch. In a statement regarding the Fong testimony, Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said, “We urge FSIS to work quickly to develop a comprehensive sampling and testing program for E. coli that will make food safer for consumers.”

The group recommends the USDA and FSIS use a trace-back and trace-forward approach to food safety investigations at beef producers. This will better identify any beef products processed during the same shift as meat known to be contaminated.

If contaminated beef  is processed at an appropriate facility, it will spread that contamination to machinery used in the process. This can and usually does lead to cross-contamination of previously safe products.

Additionally, Food & Water Watch suggests regulators and inspectors conduct more follow-up investigations at locations linked to previous E. coli outbreaks.

The food industry is littered with repeat offenders, including the farms behind last summer’s nationwide recall on eggs due to Salmonella poisoning.