Drop in E.coli Numbers Underscores Advances in Sampling and Detection, Expert Says

The steep drop in meat contaminated with the potentially deadly E.coli O157:H7 can be attributed to the close working partnership forged between government and food processors in the aftermath of one of the deadliest outbreaks of foodborne illness in the early 1990s, according to one expert.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced recently that only 0.17 percent (14 of 8,100) ground beef samples tested in 2004 by federal meat inspectors contained the potentially deadly pathogen. That compares with 0.30 percent in 2003 and 0.78 percent in 2004.

At Auburn University, Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist and professor of nutrition and foods, says the steep drop bears testimony to the intricate monitoring and prevention system put in place by the federal government and food processors following a 1993 mass outbreak of E.coli O157:H7, during which hundreds of people were sickened and four children died after eating contaminated meat at Jack in the Box restaurants.

One especially noteworthy change has been the industry-wide adoption of HACCP, an acronym that stands for Hazard Analysis Control Critical Points --- a systematic approach to food safety first developed by the Pillsbury Corporation on behalf of NASA to reduce the risk of foodborne illness on manned spaceflights.

“It’s basically a Space Age approach to food safety that attempts to account for every step along the food processing chain where problems, included food contamination, are likely to occur,” she says.

The widespread practice, also adopted in the 1990s, of washing animal carcasses with antibacterial sprays, undoubtedly has played a major role in reducing outbreaks of E.coli and other pathogens, Weese believes.

Routine sampling of carcasses in the processing plant and at grocery stores by trained USDA inspectors --- a practice begun in 1994 --- also has played a significant part, she adds.

Some beef processors have even gone a step further, requiring testing of animals even before slaughtering.

The advances in E.coli sampling and detection, however, aren’t limited to processing plants.

Fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, now maintain a zero-tolerance policy, refusing any meat shipments testing positive for E.coli.

“This, in turn, has had the effect of creating a zero-tolerance standard further down the food processing chain, since the processors have every incentive to produce a E.coli-free product,” Weese observes.

Other fast-food restaurants, such as Taco Bell, now use only precooked meat, reducing the risk that meat will be undercooked before serving --- the culprit behind the 1993 outbreak.

The advances aren’t limited only to processing and distribution.

Cattle producers, for example, have adopted best management practices to reduce the prevalence of the pathogen in livestock before slaughter.

“Producers understand that it begins with the animal,” Weese says. “If it’s not in the animal, it’s not going to show up in the plant.”

Even with these advances, E.coli O157:H7 is believed to cause an estimated 73,000 illnesses and 61 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The very young, the very old, and individuals with compromised immune systems are considered the most vulnerable to the effects of this pathogen.

“The figures are a reminder that although we’ve come very far from that tragic time in 1993, we still have room for improvement,” Weese says.

[Source: Dr. Jean Weese, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Food Scientist and Auburn University Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, (334) 844-3269.]

Posted by Jim Langcuster at March 16, 2005 11:43 AM