Thursday, April 5, 2001 Carol Tucker Foreman, 202-387-6121
Five days ago, the Department of Agriculture withdrew its zero tolerance standard
for Salmonella in ground beef purchased for the school lunch program and other
federal nutrition programs. This decision means that neither federal inspectors
nor the companies involved will test for a potentially deadly pathogen in meat
going to millions of school children nationwide. Instead of looking for bacteria
that make people sick, inspectors will look only for harmless bacteria that
may indicate the presence of fecal contamination. Meat with high levels of Salmonella
will be accepted into the system.
This action came after meat processors and their trade associations _ many of
them contributors to the Bush campaign _ objected strenuously to the requirement
that ground beef in school lunches be free of both Salmonella and even more
deadly E. coli O157:H7. The trade associations sent numerous letters to new
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and others objecting to the zero tolerance
standard.
The salmonella testing requirement was imposed by USDA last year to assure that
only the safest ground beef products were served in child nutrition programs.
It required companies wishing to sell to the school lunch program to certify
that their meat met microbial standards for salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
The Agricultural Marketing Service then tested all finished ground beef to assure
it met the standards. The zero tolerance for Salmonella joined other government-imposed
quality standards, including limits on fat and vegetable protein in beef products.
The major fast food chains also have limits on Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7
contamination in meat.
USDA buys millions of pounds of ground beef annually for distribution to schools,
day care centers, homes for retarded children and other institutions. The government
estimates that Salmonella poisoning causes 1.4 million illnesses and 600 deaths
each year. Young children are among those most vulnerable to food poisoning
bacteria.
The USDA requirement for Salmonella testing had been effective in keeping contaminated meat out of the school lunch program. Between July 2000 and March 2001, about 9 million pounds of ground beef _ or seven percent of all that was tested _ was rejected by AMS. More than half of the rejected meat was contaminated with Salmonella.
In addition, after one major supplier of ground beef in school lunches failed to meet a Salmonella standard three times in one year, USDA withdrew its inspectors in an attempt to shut the company down. A court later reversed USDA ¡s action but the company, Supreme Beef of Dallas, has since closed.
Industry argued that Salmonella testing made the meat too expensive and would
cause a shortage of ground beef for school lunches. Experiences during the first
year do not support that charge. After an initial price increase, the market
adjusted and the average price for fine ground beef returned to its previous
level. Apparently, the government is such a large purchaser of ground beef that
processors met the requirement for higher quality and at no increase in price.
According to a recent trade journal article, some government officials are justifying
withdrawal of the Salmonella standard on cost grounds. The article quoted an
AMS official describing the change as an attempt to buy ground beef ¢at
the right value. ¡ ² But the value ² in this case does not include
the medical costs associated with food poisoning contracted by children from
contaminated ground beef.
Incomplete USDA data indicate there were nine school-related food poisoning outbreaks in 1997. Also, over the past five years, 556,000 pounds of USDA-donated hamburger patties have been removed from schools for contamination, along with 25,000 pounds of beef and vegetable protein patties, 400,000 pounds of poultry and an unknown quantity of ground beef. ²
The Consumer Federation of America as an association of approximately 285 pro-consumer groups. Founded in 1968, CFA works to advance the consumer interest through advocacy and education.