USDA to expand E. coli testing for beef

The USDA will increase testing parts of steaks and other meat cuts used to make ground beef, as the government steps up efforts to reduce the spread of E. coli bacteria in food.

USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) was issuing guidance for meat inspectors to begin testing of bench trim for E. coli, which was not routinely done in the past.

FSIS will also be issuing new instructions for inspection, sampling and other actions to reduce E. coli occurrences in beef.

An estimated 76 million people in the US get sick every year with foodborne illness and 5,000 die, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The actions taken now will lead to safer food, healthier consumers and less costly healthcare, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The moves stemmed from proposed measures that seek to improve food safety, especially against salmonella and E. coli contamination in food. 

The US food supply has been battered by a series of high profile outbreaks of illnesses involving lettuce, peppers, peanuts and spinach since 2006.

Consumer groups, lawmakers and the Obama administration have called for an overhaul of the antiquated food safety system and a reform of FDA.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday (Jul 30) passed a bill that would give the FDA the authority to order food recalls, require all facilities to have a food safety plan in place, increase the frequency of food inspections and expand FDA access to company records.