AMI Opposes E. coli Bill

The American Meat Institute has opposed a bill that would require the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to regulate six additional strains of E. coli in meat and poultry processing.

The group, which represents 95% of the red meat industry, said the requirements could prove costly and would not necessarily improve food safety.

It said the bill would only apply to meat, and more tests are required to detect the additional E. coli strains in other foodstuffs.

The USDA currently requires meat processing companies to test for the most common strain of E. coli – E. coli 0157 – while the six other strains are unregulated in meat and poultry products.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the non-O157 strains cause 36,700 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalisations and 30 deaths in the US each year.