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FSIS is going to analyze expanding non-O157 testing in fiscal 2013
Story Date: 10/3/2012
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Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 10/3/12
USDA’S Food Safety and Inspection Service is looking to expand the list of raw beef products it will test for six non-O157 strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in fiscal 2013 and may also propose merging its E. coli and Salmonella testing programs to enable testing the same sample for multiple pathogens, according to FSIS officials.
“We are expecting to expand beyond (testing) trim sometime in 2013,” Emilio Esteban, FSIS executive associate for laboratory services told attendees at the Prevention of Shiga-Toxin Producing E. coli Conference hosted by the North American Meat Association here. The conference was also sponsored by a number of other organizations including Meatingplace.
When FSIS started testing beef trim for non-O157 E. coli in June, the agency indicated it planned to eventually expand testing beyond trim. Expanded testing could include, for example, other ground beef components, such as cheek meat and other raw materials used to make ground beef.
Acting Assistant FSIS Administrator Office of Policy and Program Development Rachel Edelstein, however, stopped short of speculating on what FSIS might test next, saying the agency must first perform a cost benefit analysis of expanded testing that must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget. She said that analysis would be completed in fiscal 2013. Any proposed testing expansion would be published to allow industry comment before final decisions are made.
Esteban and other presenters noted the continued higher rate of potential positives for non-O157 STECs that are not confirmed as positives than occurs in O157:H7 testing.
“We will continue to make upgrades to the laboratory method. We will use the constituent update vehicle and meetings with stakeholders to announce changes prior to implementation,” he told attendees.
Esteban also told the group FSIS is looking to maximize the use of each sample collected. “As such, we may consider testing the same sample for other microorganisms. Any change will be announced prior to implementation.”
He told Meatingplace once the agency identifies the enrichment medium to use to detect multiple pathogens, this could allow FSIS to merge its E. coli and Salmonella testing programs. Currently, multiple samples must be taken so each can be cultured for a specific pathogen. Esteban said he expects a proposal regarding this change to be offered for industry comment during fiscal 2013, which began Oct. 1.
Veal
Edelstein, Esteban and other speakers also pointed to non-O157 trim testing results that might indicate a greater prevalence in veal than in beef. While emphasizing the data is not conclusive, Esteban said, “The data suggests that we should look at that a bit more.”
Edelstein said FSIS plans to start posting veal trim test results separately from beef, as a way to start to explore what might be causing higher positives.
Veal slaughter and intervention processes can differ from those in beef plants, including the way carcasses are hung. Veal calf gut function also differs from that of adult beef cattle.
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