Editor’s Note: We continue today with our look back at what happened in 2012 with the Top Ten Most Important Stories of 2012 as selected by the writers and editors of Food Safety News. Like yesterday’s Reader’s Choices, the stories that drove Food Safety News’ readership to new heights, the Top Ten is a…
USDA Looks to Expand Non-O157 E. coli Testing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is planning to expand testing for six non-O157 strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) – just recently declared adulterants – to more beef products next year.
According to Meatingplace (subscription only), FSIS official Emilio Esteban told a North American Meat Association conference Wednesday, “We…
E. coli Conference: Research Should Focus on the Source
The report from the so-called “supershedders” conference on the future of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) research — held recently in Scotland — is out. It identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends areas for future research. The workshop stemmed from the controversial 2005 E. coli outbreak in South Wales and was organized by the Food Standards…
DeLauro Disappointed by Non-O157 STEC Policy Delay
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct), who serves as Ranking Member on the
Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, expressed disappointment Tuesday regarding the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s announcement that there will be a 90 day delay in
implementing their new non-O157 E. coli policy.
As her office noted in a release: “Congresswoman
DeLauro has …
FSIS Delays ‘Big Six’ E. Coli Policy 90 Days
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new, groundbreaking non-O157 E. coli policy, which classifies six new strains as adulterants and requires testing, will become effective 90 days later than originally planned, the Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Wednesday.
The delay, which did not surprise industry insiders, will push back the routine sampling of the six …
Comments to FSIS Varied on Non-O157 E. Coli Testing
More E. coli testing may be just days away, or it could be well past March 5 before we know how all this is going to come out.
Since the USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, announced on Sept. 13 that six more strains of pathogenic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli would be …
Top Food Safety Stories of 2011: No. 4
Ground beef sold to Americans is going to undergo more E. coli testing in 2012, and the historic decision to require it was 2011’s 4th more important food safety story.
For the first time since 1994, when the E. coli strain O157; H7 was banned from meat, six more serotypes of the pathogen were declared …
Australia, New Zealand Raise Concerns Over 'Big Six'
The governments of Australia and New Zealand, major beef exporters, expressed written concern last week to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service over their new non-O157 E. coli policy, according to the North American Meat Processors Association newsletter.
Echoing the arguments of the American Meat Institute, both Australia and New Zealand questioned whether the …
The 'Big Six' Are a Big Problem Worth Solving
This March, America’s food supply is slated to get a tiny bit safer — a change the meat industry is vehemently opposing.
At issue is the USDA’s plan to require U.S. slaughterhouses to expand their E. coli tests. Currently, meat companies must test for just one E. coli strain: O157:H7. The USDA’s pending regulations will …
FSIS Extends Comment Period on the 'Big Six'
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending the comment period for the rule declaring six Shiga toxin-producing E. coli adulterants in certain beef products, according to the American Meat Institute.
AMI reported receiving a letter from FSIS Administrator Alfred Almanza with the news on Wednesday.
The new deadline to file comments is Dec. …