Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 6/1/10

The American Meat Institute took issue with a bill proposed last week by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) that would require USDA to regulate the six currently unregulated strains of E. coli proven to cause food-borne illnesses.

"We do not believe that declaring non-O157 STECS to be adulterants will enhance the food safety system, and we think that application of such a policy could consume resources that could be better spent elsewhere to achieve meaningful food safety progress," said AMI Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel Mark Dopp in a statement.

There is no test available to detect the six additional strains included in the bill, Dopp pointed out, adding that experts at USDA have said in public meetings that the food safety systems we have in place work equally well for non-157 and O157 STECS.

"We are concerned that food safety resources in the private sector and the public sector are not infinite. It's important to invest in technologies that will provide meaningful food safety benefits," he added.

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