October 1, 2010
US government advised to test for all E. coli strains
Food-safety advocates in the US stress on the government to test for all six strains of E. coli in beef, rather than just E. coli O157:H7.
E. coli O157:H7 is the only strain officially considered an adulterant under the food-safety laws; however, there are tests ready for four of the six strains.
According to a 2007 presentation by an USDA scientist, E. coli bacteria, other than the O157:H7 strain, are found just as commonly in ground beef and cattle.
Food-safety advocates are pressuring Dr Elisabeth Hagen, the Department of Agriculture's undersecretary for food safety, to expedite the process to broaden E. coli testing to all strains.
