Food Safety Concerns After E.coli Outbreak

UK/ US - Food safety and public health has come under scrutiny in the US after a controversial report has questionned food traceability.

7 October 2009

2 minute read

The outbreak of E.coli, which forced visitor farms to close across the UK, has a total number of reported cases from one farm reaching 90.

In Devon, a child has been confirmed dead due to infection with E.coli O157 reports the BBC. The Health Protection Agency are investigating the death as no clear source has yet been found and there appears to be no other cases.

Across in the US, the New York Times published a controversial article last weekend condemning US food safety after one women has become paralysed from an E.coli infection after eating a hamburger (made with ground meat). The New York Times claimed that ground meat is usually traced back to a number of sources and various grades of meat, which make it vulnerable to E.coli contamination.

US Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack said in a statement: "Protecting public health is the sole mission of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS has continued to make improvements to reduce the presence of E.coli O157:H7 and the agency is committed to working to reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses caused by this pathogen."

He outlined a number of actions that the Food Safety Working Group have taken including stepping-up meat facility inspections involving greater use of sampling to monitor the products going into ground beef, issuing draft guidelines for the industry to further reduce the risk of O157 contamination and the additional testing of ground beef components including bench trim.

Patrick Boyle, President and Chief Executive of the American Meat Institute (AMI) wrote in a letter to the New York Times: "With industry perseverance, the incidence of E.coli O157:H7 in ground beef declined 45 per cent since 2000 and now occurs at a rate of less than one half of one per cent."

In the letter he suggested that the Department of Agriculture had not been forthcoming to work with the industry to reduce pathogens such as E.coli, stating that AMI are still waiting for the department to initiate a rulemaking on the efficacy of carcase irradiation, which was submitted five years ago.

William Hayes from Argentine Beef Packers, has defended ground meat and has suggested that inferior meat holds no more of a health risk than prime meat. He said that the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the governing body, needs to be more proactive in protecting public health.