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Current Issues

14 July 2011 : America increases E. coli sampling frequency

America increases E. coli sampling frequency

It is reported that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, issued the Notice 36-11: Temporary Changes in Sampling Frequency for E. coli O157:H7 Testing in Raw Ground Beef.

Following the notice, during August and September the number of samples collected from ground beef establishments with production volumes of at least 50,000 lbs. per day will be increased.

It is revealed that the changes are as follows: 

  • Up to six times within a 30-day window for establishments with ground beef product production volumes of greater than 250,000 lbs./day.
  • Up to four times within a 30-day window for establishments with ground beef product production volumes of 50,000 to 250,000 lbs./day.
  • No changes for establishments with ground beef product production volumes of less than 50,000 lbs./day.
It should be observed that although additional samples will be collected per month, inspection personnel are still to follow the sample collection instructions in FSIS Directive 10,010.1, Chapter 2, paragraph III, “Information for Collecting Samples for Ground Beef Products,” for collecting up to two samples per day.