As the USDA is scrambling to save face after dozens of people have been sickened in E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to ground beef products, USDA meat inspectors revealed to the Chicago Tribune that USDA allows companies to sell meat contaminated with E. coli if it is cooked:
One federal inspector calls it the "E. coli loophole." Another says, "Nobody would buy it if they knew."The officials are referring to the little-discussed fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has deemed it acceptable for meat companies to cook and sell meat on which E. coli, a bacterium that can sicken and even kill humans, is found during processing.
The "E. coli loophole" affects millions of pounds of beef each year that tests positive for the presence of E. coli O157:H7, a particularly virulent strain of the bacterium.
The agency allows companies to put this E. coli-positive meat in a special category -- "cook only." Cooking the meat, the USDA and producers say, destroys the bacteria and makes it safe to eat as precooked hamburgers, meat loaf, crumbled taco meat and other products.
But some USDA inspectors say the "cook only" practice means that higher-than-appropriate levels of E. coli are tolerated in packing plants, raising the chance that clean meat will become contaminated. They say the "cook only" practice is part of the reason for this year's sudden rise in incidents of E. coli contamination.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
The media are having a field day with this, and well they should. It is outrageous that contaminated meat is allowed to be sold to consumers in any form.
Here is some of the media reaction:
The USDA regulation allows processing plants to sell meat that tests positive for E. coli. The only stipulation is such meat carry a ''cook only'' label, a practice that allows companies to profit from millions of pounds of bad meat. The USDA defended the rule, saying commercial cooking kills the bacteria and renders it safe to eat. This type of meat is usually sold as precooked hamburger, meatloaf and taco filling.The $71 billion U.S. beef industry is fiercely protective of its product, and a Texas cattlemen's association even sued Oprah Winfrey in 1996 for disparaging remarks about beef. But when the brain-wasting mad cow disease that decimated Europe's beef markets was found in Washington state, American growers lost an estimated $4 billion in exports. Huge losses also are likely as consumers realize what the E. coli loophole really means.
Consumers may never again look at such precooked ''convenience'' products the same way. After all, where's the convenience in gagging, retching and diarrhea? If this loophole isn't closed soon, consumers will consider anything the government says about food safety just a load of, well, you know. (Chicago Sun-Times)
You want feces with that?
It's not a question you want to hear from the kid behind the fast-food counter. But because of a loophole in the way the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates beef processing, it is, we regret to report, a realistic question.
It seems that the USDA deems it OK for meat suppliers to cook and sell beef that has been found to be contaminated by E. coli bacteria. As long as the tainted beef is put aside in a "cook only" category during processing, then pre-cooked to a temperature that will kill the bacterium, everything's cool.
At least that's what a number of angry USDA meat inspectors told The Chicago Tribune. Naturally, the inspectors didn't want to be identified for fear of losing their jobs. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
We are encouraging people to contact their legislators and ask them to close the E. coli loophole. The beef industry will fight this tooth and nail (with millions of dollars dangled in front of legislators' eyes), but we have to hope some of our politicians care more about their constituents than campaign finances.
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