Currently, only one strain, known as 0157:H7, is classified as an adulterant. Recently, USDA's new food safety chief, Dr. Elisabeth Hagan, "listed the issue as a top priority for the administration, although she didn't lay out a timetable for issuing new regulations."
"There are numerous strains of E. coli, some of which live in the human gut, and a few, such as 0157 and 0111, can be deadly if ingested because of a toxin that they produce."
Packers, however, are fighting additional regulation. The American Meat Institute has expressed that regulation on additional strains of E. coli "diverts scarce resources away from enhancing food safety prevention efforts."
Dr. Hagan also said that USDA would focus on tracing contamination and enforcing animal welfare regulations.
To read the Green Fields Blog story, click here.
Posted: 09/29/2010
