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Just days before the agency is set to begin testing raw beeftrimmings for more strains of disease-causing E. coli, the FoodSafety and Inspection Service issued a detailed response tocomments it has received about the new policy. The new document, published in the Federal Register on Tuesday,confirms that despite industry calls for delay , FSIS will begin testing trimmings for six additional Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) next week on June 4. As of thatdate, any raw, non-intact beef products or components contaminatedwith STECs O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145, will be legallyconsidered adulterated -- just as the agency has long treated E.coli O157:H7. The agency also said that it will issue a Federal Register noticeto implement routine verification testing for the six STECs inadditional raw beef products, including ground beef. The policy rollout has not come without challenges. When FSIS firstannounced its intent to consider more non-O157 STEC adulterants, itsaid the verification and testing program would begin on March 5,2012. But the agency eventually pushed back the implementation dateto June 4, 2012 to "allow establishments time to implementappropriate changes in their food safety systems, including changesin process control procedures." In its response to comments, FSIS said that it disagreed withseveral of the reasons cited by those seeking a delay, includingrequests to conduct a baseline study before moving forward with thepolicy. "FSIS has concluded that a baseline is neither necessary norwarranted before implementation of the FSIS verification samplingand testing program," said the agency in the document. "Theseorganisms are present in beef products in the United States; theevidence for this is presented in the risk profile. FSIS considersthe data on non-O157 STECs obtained by the Agricultural ResearchService (ARS) at a limited number of slaughter establishments to beevidence that the pathogens should be considered adulterants andare capable of causing illness." "FSIS also considered data collected by the person who petitionedthe Agency to declare these pathogens to be adulterants in alimited geographical retail area," added the document, presumablyreferring to the testing commissioned by food safety attorney BillMarler (publisher of Food Safety News ), who petitioned FSIS to consider non-O157 STECs adulterants in 2009. Marler said he was pleased the testing project helped back up thenew policy. "Although the cost of the testing was high - just over $500,000 -it helped support that non-E. coli O157 bacteria were still gettingthrough the beef industry's safety net of interventions," saidMarler. "I think adding the bugs as adulterants will prompt moreinnovation by industry that, in the long run, will benefit bothconsumers and industry by driving down the number of peoplesickened." FSIS also pointed to a report from the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC), which clearly showed that non-O157 STEC "posea significant public health burden in the United States," tosupport the agency's position. The document added that, "FSIS and the CDC believe that there aremore unreported and unconfirmed illnesses associated with thespecified non-O157 STECs than with E. coli O157:H7." Though FSIS is moving forward with the policy next week, the agencyis planning to conduct a carcass baseline study in 2013 -- not justfor non-O157 STEC, but also for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella andindicator bacteria. The study will look at contaminationimmediately after hide removal but before food safety interventionsand evisceration. On the whole, the agency said that the new non-O157 STEC testingpolicy is not meant to be a panacea, but to help regulatorsdetermine whether the industry is controlling the pathogens to keepthem out of the food supply. "FSIS acknowledges that the best approach to reducing STECcontamination lies not in comprehensive end-product testing but inthe development and implementation of science-based preventivecontrols, with end-product testing to verify process control," readthe notice. "FSIS's non-O157 STEC testing program will improve foodsafety because FSIS anticipates that establishments may voluntarilymake changes to their food safety systems in response to the newtesting. For example, establishments may initiate a testing programfor non-O157 STECs or may add new interventions to addresspathogens." The notice also addressed the concerns about imported beef productsand whether the new policy might violate the United States'obligations under the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)Measures, a World Trade Organization accord. FSIS stated that the agency has notified trading partners about thepolicy, including conducting video and teleconferences to helpforeign governments understand the new measure. The agency said itwill treat incoming foreign products the same way it treats producttested for E. coli O157: H7. A draft of the 32-page notice can be found here . Food Safety News More Headlines from Food Policy & Law » The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as LED Fluorescent Tube Lights Manufacturer , SMD LED Flexible Strip Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit 12V LED Module today!
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