DeLauro Statement on Troubling Findings in New USDA IG Report

NEW HAVEN, CT – Congresswoman DeLauro (D-CT) released thefollowing statement in response to a report from theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the InvestigatorGeneral (OIG) on testing of certain beef products for E. coli. DeLauro is a longtime advocate for ensuring our food supply is safe and aformer Chair of the subcommittee responsible for funding the USDA.

"This report identifies numerous shortcomings that directlyaffect the public. It reinforces the clear need to label mechanicallytenderized beef products rather than continue to place the health of consumersat risk. The report also highlights that we need a better understandingof the scale of production and the risk associated with these products. Ifind it staggering that the OIG identified a nearly 82 percent inaccuracy ratefor the establishments in the Public Health Information System that theysampled. Data errors that threaten the health of Americans areunacceptable and we clearly we must do better by American families."

The USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) isresponsible for ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products sold in theUnited States, including ground beef and mechanically tenderized beefproducts. This report is specific to E. coli testing of non-intactbeef products. The OIG's key findings can be found on page six of thereport.

Inaccurately labeled mechanically tenderized beef productsmay appear to be intact cuts of beef, creating a health risk for consumers. TheUSDA recommends that non-intact beef products, including mechanicallytenderized beef products, be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degreesFahrenheit. This is because pathogens, like E. coli O157:H7, may be introducedinto the product during the tenderization process. DeLauro has been working torequire labeling of these products, including thisletter to USDA and questionsduring a recent subcommittee hearing.