USDA to step up ground beef tests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would begin testing for E. coli contamination in more domestic and imported meat used to make ground beef, after an increase in recalls involving the potentially deadly bacteria.

Richard Raymond, the USDA’s undersecretary for food safety, said there had been 15 beef recalls for possible E. coli contamination this year, compared with eight for all of last year. The plan will result in more rapid recalls from a broader range of evidence, he said.

“Obviously something has changed,” Raymond said. “We realized we need to do even more” to monitor the problem.

In July, the number of tests for E. coli in ground beef was increased by more than 75% in response to the higher number of recalls, Raymond said.

Starting in January, routine targeted samplings at slaughter plants will jump 50%, to 4,500 annually, he said, with high-volume plants being tested more frequently.