Federal Legislation Would Strengthen Food Safety Measures Regarding E. Coli
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has introduced a bill (H.R. 6024) that would require stricter testing procedures designed to eradicate “the dangerous Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria” from meat and meat-processing facilities. The E. coli Traceability and Eradication Act would also establish a tracking procedure to enable the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement faster recalls.
According to a DeLauro press statement, the proposal would require meat, slaughterhouse and grinding facilities to have ground beef and “beef trim” tested multiple times throughout the manufacturing process by an independent USDA-certified testing facility. In the event E. coli were detected, the bill would require the slaughter facility to immediately report contamination to USDA. The agency would then test the facility’s products for 15 consecutive days following the positive test and establish a “traceback procedure” to the original source of contamination for quicker product recalls and illness prevention.
“By the end of this year, an estimated 57,000 people will have been made ill from E. coli, which represents an astounding failure on the part of our food-safety system,” DeLauro said. “We must do more to address the dangers American consumers face on a daily basis from these hidden killers, and ensure that the food entering the marketplace, our homes, and even our schools, is safe.” See Press Release of Representative Rosa DeLauro, July 29, 2010.
