Many opinions on the best way to prevent E. coli infection from beef

There are many opinions about what is the best way to protect consumers from E.coli infections that can leave them sick with diarrhea and abdominal cramps, or in some cases kill them.

A growing number of ground beef recalls as well as mass infections and several deaths from E.coli O157:H7 have focused national attention on the problem.

The solutions range from changing the way cattle are raised and slaughtered to more frequent testing and safer consumer handling to irradiating raw meat and vaccinating cattle against E.coli.

Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe there may be as many as 70,000 infections with E.coli O157:H7, the strain that tends to make people ill, each year in the United States. Many cases are not reported because people who become ill may not seek treatment. About 10 percent of those with these types of infections develop life-threatening diseases, according to the CDC.

Better training of meat processors

Joellen Fiertag and Jeff Bender, food safety experts at the University of Minnesota, said recently that better training for meat processing workers, including improved methods of washing carcasses and washing hands when handling meat,  and better pasteurization techniques could help lower the incidence of E.coli infections.

Most contamination of meat occurs at the slaughterhouse when feces comes into contact with the meat, said Fiertag and Bender.

Grass-fed versus grain-fed

Many consumer food safety experts advise that grass-fed livestock that feed on open pasture instead of grains are healthier than animals raised in confinement in feedlots, the conventional way most beef cattle are raised today.

Grass-fed beef are believed to be healthier than corn-fed cattle because corn is not a natural diet for cows. Feeding cattle corn also requires they be given antibiotics to keep them healthy. Antibiotics, in turn, make the animals less resistant to viruses and bacteria, including E.coli O157:H7.

Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, found that even switching cattle from a diet of grains to hay for five days prior to slaughter significantly reduced the presence of E. coli in the cow’s meat.

More testing

An Idaho company has developed a rapid test that it says can identify the presence of E.coli O157:H7  in raw ground beef and uncooked spinach food samples within one hour.

“This new test from Idaho Technology provides easy, accurate and timely pathogen identification to enhance food companies’ productivity,” said David Nielsen, the company’s vice president of product development.

The USDA has also announced that it will start more rigorous testing for E. coli in ground beef among the largest meat processors. The agency will also make results of the tests available online every three months so that people can view whether efforts to reduce E.coli contamination are effective.

More legislation

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation requiring regular testing of beef before and after it is processed. She believes Congress needs to take action to fill in the gaps in testing that allow infected meat into the food supply. Her proposed legislation, the E. Coli Eradication Act, which has been tabled in the Senate, would include penalties for companies that fail to implement testing mechanisms at their facilities, said Gillibrand in a statement. "The E. coli Eradication Act is an important step towards ensuring that the food going straight to kitchens, school cafeterias and restaurants is property tested and safe," Gillibrand said.

However, the meat industry generally opposes more testing. “If we could eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef by passing a bill in Congress, we would have insisted that such legislation be enacted years ago,” said American Meat Institute President J. Patrick Boyle. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”

The American Meat Institute says the legislation would “duplicate the millions of tests currently being conducted by the meat industry.” It suggests that instead of more tests, the emphasis should be placed on educating consumers on proper handling and cooking of meat.

Irradiated meat

Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved irradiation as a way to kill E.coli in meat more than 10 years ago, consumers have not accepted the process as safe.

Many are concerned that irradiation changes the chemical make-up of the meet and want more tests to determine the safety of irradiated meat.

Vaccine for cattle

For years researchers in Canada and the United States have been working on developing vaccines that would eliminate E.coli in cattle. Epitopix, LLC, of Willmar, Minn., was the first to receive conditional  approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its cattle vaccine earlier this year. When tested on cattle, the vaccine reduces the amount of E.coli in the animals’ manure by 60 to 90 percent, depending on the vaccine being tested.

Consumer education

The American Meat Institute, federal agencies and medical societies all offer advice to consumers on their web sites on ways to reduce their risk of getting an infection from contaminated meat. The CDC advises that people cook ground beef or ground beef patties to 160 degrees F. and use a food thermometer to ensure the food reaches the correct temperature.

Meat should be stored in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F. to prevent the growth of bacteria, according to the USDA. Raw meat should not come into contact with other foods or countertops where it could spread bacteria, and meat should always be eaten before the expiration date, says the USDA.

Considering all that is known, there is no shortage of solutions to the problems in meat production. There is however, a gap in the ability to put together a comprehensive strategy for addressing food safety.

Sources:

http://health.state.mn.us

http://gillibrand.senate.gov

http://www.cdc.gov

http://www.sciencemag.org

http://www.idahotech.com