- On June 4, 2020 the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced plans to expand Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) testing to include additional raw beef products. Specifically, FSIS is expanding its routine verification testing to include ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. FSIS will test six non-O157 STEC (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145), which are considered adulterants, in addition to Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7.
- Currently, FSIS only tests beef manufacturing trimming samples for the 6 non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7. The other ground beef component products are currently tested only for E. coli O157:H7. These pathogens have been known to cause serious illness, such as the 2019 E. coli O103 outbreak linked to raw ground beef that sickened nearly 200 people in 10 states. A 2018 E. coli O26 outbreak, also linked to raw ground beef, sickened 18 people in 4 states.
- Additionally, FSIS intends to test for non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples it collects at retail stores and in samples of imported raw beef products. FSIS is accepting comments on the proposed sampling and testing of ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components through August 3, 2020.