Meat Recall Raises Questions About New USDA Rules

The recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef has put the nation on a food alert as it approaches the Labor Day weekend. Is that hamburger on the barbecue safe to eat? How many of us have had such a thought before buying or eating ground beef since the latest contamination incident, in which 16 people in Colorado fell ill after eating patties tainted with the potentially deadly bacteria known as E. coli 0157:H7.

The virulent bacterium appears contained for now by the largest food recall ever. But the scare raises new questions about consumer protections and the beef industry. Last year, the industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reached a compromise agreement on new “hazard control” rules, many based on voluntary measures in use by beef packers and processors. The goal is to move beyond the old USDA “sniff and poke” inspections to scientific identification of hard-to-detect pathogens.

The Hudson Foods Inc. plant in Nebraska, which processed the ground beef that was recalled, had a voluntary system that included routine testing for generic E. coli (which is found in the intestines of animals and people and usually is benign) and sporadic testing for the more potent E. coli 0157:H7, which can be fatal, especially to children and the elderly. Even so, a batch of Hudson frozen beef patties got out of the plant carrying the bacteria. Both the company and the USDA believe the contamination occurred at one or more slaughterhouses. The recall was so large because ground beef from the tainted batch was mixed later with another batch, and so on. The USDA does not prohibit using up leftover beef from the previous day, but the practice ought to be banned.

The new USDA rules, which begin to take effect in January, will require every packer and processor to identify contamination-prone spots in their processing and develop procedures to increase safety. The government will simply monitor a company’s “self-policing.”

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman wants Congress to give his department the authority to recall meat, which is now voluntary on the part of the industry. That is important authority, but a greater urgency rests in the USDA; it should not get caught up in record-keeping at the expense of on-site inspection. Better oversight also should be established over feedlots and retail distribution.

The beef industry, by its own admission, cannot 100% guarantee its product. Its advice, to cook ground beef to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, is wise. But the industry and government need to do a lot more to restore public confidence in those Labor Day burgers.