Gillibrand Wants More Beef Safety Regulations
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 2:04pm.
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
New York Correspondent
In response to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report issued in October, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) drafted the E. coli Eradication Act to increase standards for beef inspection. The report stated that E. coli O157:H7 (commonly called “E. coli”) contaminated nearly one out of every 300 samples of ground beef used in the study.
Unlike most cuts of meat, pre-packaged ground beef, such as frozen patties and logs, often comes from many different sources, making consistency in testing more difficult. The meat that becomes ground beef tends to be more prone to E. coli. Fat and the cuts of meat that lie closer to the surface usually comprise ground beef, which means it’s closer to the hide where any residual fecal matter can contaminate it if slaughterhouse personnel improperly handle the carcass.
The proposed legislation would mandate meat processing plants to test meat before grinding it and again before mixing it with other sources of beef or other ingredients and packaging. Processors finding any contaminated meat would have to dispose of it or cook it to kill the E. coli.
“In America, in 2009, it is unconscionable that food is still going straight to our kitchens, school cafeterias and restaurants without being properly tested to ensure its safety,” Gillibrand said. “It’s spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives. We need to do a better job of catching contaminated food before it ever comes close to a kitchen table. My plan addresses the gaps in the inspection process and improves recalls and public education, so parents have the information to keep their families safe.”
In a reply to Gillibrand’s push for increased food safety regulations, J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the American Meat Institute in Washington, D.C., stated, “Each and every day that our businesses are open, we are focused on producing beef that is as safe as it possibly can be because this benefits our customers, our families and our businesses. If we could eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef by passing a bill in Congress, we would have instituted that such legislation be enacted years ago. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”
He called the proposed bill a duplication of “the millions of tests currently being conducted by the meat industry” and that proper slaughter, processing and consumer handling methods represent the best prevention of E. coli outbreaks because of the potential for danger inherent in handling and cooking with any raw food product.
In a statement Gillibrand released Oct. 18, she said that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 70,000 Americans “fall victim to E. coli each year” and that “according to the CDC, every year an estimated 87 million Americans are sickened by contaminated food, 371,000 are hospitalized with food-borne illness, and 5,700 die from food-related disease.”
That 1999 CDC report stated that of the 70,000 E. coli cases, about 60 died. The CDC also included among the 70,000 E. coli illnesses instances caused by any source of E. coli, including unpasteurized milk, eating unwashed and raw produce, and poor personal hygiene such as not washing one’s hands after touching animals, changing a diaper or using the bathroom.
The CDC report further stated that “it’s believed that the number of illnesses and deaths has been dropping since then.”
The October, 2009 USDA report cited by Gillibrand appears to support a decline in E. coli prevalence in ground beef. It states that compared with 2008, E. coli-tainted beef has decreased from 1.26 percent to .32 percent in the study’s samples.
Regardless of industry testing and standards, it pays to handle raw foods with care. The following tips are adapted from the New York Beef Industry Council’s (http://www.nybeef.org) page on E. coli contamination:
·Wash hands in hot, soapy water for 20 seconds before preparing or eating food, and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling animals.
·Wash cutting boards, counter tops, knives and utensils in hot, soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry and seafood and before preparing other foods. (This writer uses a bleach solution of 1 tsp. of bleach per cup of water for cleaning these surfaces, rinsing items well with clean water afterwards.)
·To decrease the risk of cross-contamination, keep raw meat, poultry and seafood-and their juices-away from ready-to-eat foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.
·Cook ground meats to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, ground poultry to 165 degrees and non-ground meat cuts to 165 degrees. Whole poultry should be 180 degrees and poultry parts 170. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees. Meat thermometers offer a more reliable measure of doneness than the appearance of meat and its juices.
Cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees. Refrigerate or freeze prepared food and leftovers within two hours. Defrost frozen foods only by placing them in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or using the microwave defrost functions. Monitor “sell by” and “use by” dates.
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
New York Correspondent
In response to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report issued in October, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) drafted the E. coli Eradication Act to increase standards for beef inspection. The report stated that E. coli O157:H7 (commonly called “E. coli”) contaminated nearly one out of every 300 samples of ground beef used in the study.
Unlike most cuts of meat, pre-packaged ground beef, such as frozen patties and logs, often comes from many different sources, making consistency in testing more difficult. The meat that becomes ground beef tends to be more prone to E. coli. Fat and the cuts of meat that lie closer to the surface usually comprise ground beef, which means it’s closer to the hide where any residual fecal matter can contaminate it if slaughterhouse personnel improperly handle the carcass.
The proposed legislation would mandate meat processing plants to test meat before grinding it and again before mixing it with other sources of beef or other ingredients and packaging. Processors finding any contaminated meat would have to dispose of it or cook it to kill the E. coli.
“In America, in 2009, it is unconscionable that food is still going straight to our kitchens, school cafeterias and restaurants without being properly tested to ensure its safety,” Gillibrand said. “It’s spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives. We need to do a better job of catching contaminated food before it ever comes close to a kitchen table. My plan addresses the gaps in the inspection process and improves recalls and public education, so parents have the information to keep their families safe.”
In a reply to Gillibrand’s push for increased food safety regulations, J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the American Meat Institute in Washington, D.C., stated, “Each and every day that our businesses are open, we are focused on producing beef that is as safe as it possibly can be because this benefits our customers, our families and our businesses. If we could eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef by passing a bill in Congress, we would have instituted that such legislation be enacted years ago. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”
He called the proposed bill a duplication of “the millions of tests currently being conducted by the meat industry” and that proper slaughter, processing and consumer handling methods represent the best prevention of E. coli outbreaks because of the potential for danger inherent in handling and cooking with any raw food product.
In a statement Gillibrand released Oct. 18, she said that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 70,000 Americans “fall victim to E. coli each year” and that “according to the CDC, every year an estimated 87 million Americans are sickened by contaminated food, 371,000 are hospitalized with food-borne illness, and 5,700 die from food-related disease.”
That 1999 CDC report stated that of the 70,000 E. coli cases, about 60 died. The CDC also included among the 70,000 E. coli illnesses instances caused by any source of E. coli, including unpasteurized milk, eating unwashed and raw produce, and poor personal hygiene such as not washing one’s hands after touching animals, changing a diaper or using the bathroom.
The CDC report further stated that “it’s believed that the number of illnesses and deaths has been dropping since then.”
The October, 2009 USDA report cited by Gillibrand appears to support a decline in E. coli prevalence in ground beef. It states that compared with 2008, E. coli-tainted beef has decreased from 1.26 percent to .32 percent in the study’s samples.
Regardless of industry testing and standards, it pays to handle raw foods with care. The following tips are adapted from the New York Beef Industry Council’s (http://www.nybeef.org) page on E. coli contamination:
·Wash hands in hot, soapy water for 20 seconds before preparing or eating food, and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling animals.
·Wash cutting boards, counter tops, knives and utensils in hot, soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry and seafood and before preparing other foods. (This writer uses a bleach solution of 1 tsp. of bleach per cup of water for cleaning these surfaces, rinsing items well with clean water afterwards.)
·To decrease the risk of cross-contamination, keep raw meat, poultry and seafood-and their juices-away from ready-to-eat foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.
·Cook ground meats to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, ground poultry to 165 degrees and non-ground meat cuts to 165 degrees. Whole poultry should be 180 degrees and poultry parts 170. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees. Meat thermometers offer a more reliable measure of doneness than the appearance of meat and its juices.
Cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees. Refrigerate or freeze prepared food and leftovers within two hours. Defrost frozen foods only by placing them in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or using the microwave defrost functions. Monitor “sell by” and “use by” dates.
