DELAURO: ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST DANGEROUS E. COLI STRAINS IS CRITICAL

Washington, DC—Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement today in response to the announcement by Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) that it will begin testing for an additional six strains of E. coli currently not required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Beef Products, Inc. is the world's largest producer of lean beef products and has taken a leading step in protecting American consumers from shiga toxin-producing E. coli. We know that these types of non-O157 shiga toxin-producing E. coli are dangerous, causing over 100,000 illnesses every year in the United States. I commend Beef Products, Inc. for working to protect their consumers by testing for the presence of six of these dangerous pathogens. I urge the Administration to take immediate action, and implement a strong food safety rule that would do the same. American consumers deserve no less."