Food Safety and Inspection Service Extends Non-O157:H7 to June 4

March 5, 2012 in Food & Beverage Industry Information

 

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the implementation date of  Non-O157:H7. The implementation was moved forward 90 days, to June 4, so that routine sampling of six additional STEC serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145) could  be included.

The USDA reported that the purpose of the extension is to “provide additional time for establishments to validate their test methods and detect these pathogens prior to entering the stream of commerce”.

It is important to note that the original announcement — issued February 8 — inaccurately stated that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)  would also initially sample other raw ground beef product components, in addition to raw beef manufacturing trimmings.  A correction statement was issued on February 10 clarifying that, “FSIS will initially sample raw beef manufacturing trimmings produced domestically and imported, and test the samples for the serogroups”.

On September 13, 2011, USDA announced that if the serogroups are found in raw ground beef or its precursors, those products will be prohibited from entering commerce.

Kinsa Group is monitoring this closely and will report new information as it becomes available.