USDA Extends Zero Tolerance Policy to Six Additional E. Coli Serogroups
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On 13 September 2011 the U.S. Department of Agricultural Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) announced that they were taking additional steps to fight E. coli in the United States of America (USA) food supply. Under a new rule, if the E. coli serogroups O26, O103, O45, O111, O121 and O145 are found in raw ground beef or meat to make raw ground beef, then those products will be prohibited from entering the USA food supply. FSIS intends to begin implementing a routine sampling program for these additional serogroups on 5 March 2012. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies these serogroups as those responsible for the greatest numbers of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli that cause illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths in the USA. USDA FSIS expects that this new compliance standard will save 25,000 foodborne illnesses annually.¹
Similar to E. coli O157:H7, these non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing bacteria can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome which is a potentially fatal kidney disease.²
While some processors in the beef industry have agreed to hold and test all of their lean beef for the non-0157 serogroups, others have continued to challenge the implementation of this rule because of the impact it will have on trade and the industry. The Beef Industry Food Safety Council believes that this new regulation will cost the industry $173 to $323 million annually³. Australia, Canada and New Zealand, while already testing for E. coli O157, commented that requiring products being imported into the USA to be tested for more serogroups of E. coli may violate trade agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO). The contention is that the USDA FSIS needs to provide a risk assessment under Article 5 of the WTO agreement. In August 2011 the USDA did produce a draft risk assessment on non-O157 E. coli but it is not known if they have submitted to the WTO.4
Effective 4 November 2011 the USDA FSIS updated their microbiological Laboratory Guidebook MLG 5B.01 to include the detection and isolation of non-O157 serogroups in meat products.5 This method will utilize Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for screening and isolation of the non-O157 serogroups. On 13 January 2012 a company announced that they developed a commercial method for testing for these non-O157 serogroups.6
1 News Release USDA Takes New Steps to Fight E. coli, protect the Food Supply
2 Beef Products Inc to Test for Non-O157 E. coli
3 Comments to FSIS Varied on Non-O157 E. coli Testing
4 Draft Risk Profile for Pathogenic non-O157 Shiga Toxin producing Escherichia coli
5 USDA FSIS Laboratory Guidebook Notice of Change
6 First Commercial Method for Top Non-O157 Shiga Toxigenic E. coli
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