FOOD SAFETY COUNCIL ADVANCES PRIORITIES FOR BEEF SAFETY

CHICAGO (Oct. 2, 1998) – The Beef Industry Food Safety Council recently asked Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and USDA senior officials to help the industry further enhance product safety by implementing a focused industry-wide plan, said Chuck Schroeder, Council chairman and CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Members of the Council Steering Committee asked for the Secretary’s assistance during a meeting in Washington, D.C. last week to present the Council’s industry-wide plan to eliminate E. coli O157:H7 from the beef supply. The plan calls for funding a research agenda focused on prevention at every step from farm to table, as well as creating a more science-based regulatory strategy designed to encourage industry’s advances in science-based interventions and communications to industry and consumers about advances in the safety of beef.

"Secretary Glickman expressed enthusiasm for the work of the Council, which has focused on a prevention strategy for the beef industry," Schroeder said. "We presented a research priority report that we believe is one of the most specific, targeted analyses of research needs ever developed by the industry. The Steering Committee members, the Secretary and other USDA officials agreed that if we commit to an industry/government partnership, great strides can be added to the accomplishments we have already achieved."

During its fall meeting here Sept. 28-29, the Council reviewed progress made toward the objectives of the plan in five key result areas including research, consumer education, industry information, crisis response and public policy. The group reviewed the development of a newsletter for industry stakeholders to keep them abreast of the latest advances in prevention; reviewed consumer information projects, including activities surrounding National Food Safety Education Month to remind consumers how to keep food safe during handling and preparation; refined research priorities including the formation of subcommittees to work on pre-harvest needs, irradiation and microbial sampling guidelines; and reviewed areas of government regulations that need updating to encourage more advances in technology.

"To implement the industry roadmap to safety, we must get serious about allocating funds to all areas, especially research," Schroeder said. "There are potentially promising interventions on the horizon for all segments of the industry, but they require sound, carefully focused research. Government and industry dollars must work together if we are to make aggressive progress towards our goal."

The Council outlined top research priorities for the industry. These are:

• gain a better understanding of the host/pathogen relationship to help identify potential pre-harvest critical control points and intervention strategies;
• identify production and management practices that influence growth, shedding and spread of E. coli O157:H7;
• develop sampling and testing protocol and recommend microbiological testing, which is integral for verification of processing steps before grinding trim into ground beef;
• develop irradiation guidelines for ground beef products; and
• gain a better understanding of the biology and ecology of E. coli O157:H7.

-- NCBA --

Initiated in 1898, NCBA is the marketing organization and trade association for America’s one million cattle farmers and ranchers. With offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer-directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.