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Impact of meat and poultry safety regulation in the US

In the previous issue of Food Safety & Hygiene, we cited a review by Australian workers which showed that, on the basis of data available to them, food safety regulatory changes in Australia had not led to any apparent reduction in case rates of salmonellosis. The reviewers studied the periods 1993/1994 before new regulations affecting the meat and poultry industries were introduced and 2000/2001, five years after the regulations had been introduced.

In the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in 1996 promulgated its Pathogen Reduction: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems regulations. These regulations have been modified from time to time since then with particular emphasis on reducing the incidence of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in ground beef.

Previously, the USDA and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) differed as to whether the foodborne illness statistics gathered by the CDC showed genuine and sustained reductions in foodborne illness (Food Safety and Hygiene, May 2001). Data is now being published which both US federal bodies believe indicates that the combined food safety efforts of government and industry are paying dividends.

FSIS workers report on the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in some ground beef samples. Of the 26,521 samples tested from 2000 through to 2003, 189 (0.71 percent) tested positive. Year to year comparisons identified a 50 percent reduction in the rate of positive samples on a seasonally adjusted basis from 2002 to 2003 (Journal of Food Protection 68 3 2005 462–468).

This decrease was the only significant year to year change in the rate of E. coli O157:H7 positive samples but was consistent in samples obtained both from FSIS inspected establishments and retail outlets. The reviewers believe that this decrease can be attributed to specific regulatory action by FSIS and subsequent actions implemented by industry. It remains to be seen if this decrease represents the beginning of a sustained trend.

CDC has now released preliminary FoodNet* data on the incidence of infection with pathogens transmitted commonly through food for the year 2004 and compared it with baseline data from 1996–1998.

In 2004, FoodNet cases were part of 239 nationally reported foodborne disease outbreaks (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly 54 14 2005 352–356). The most common causative organisms reported were Norovirus (57 percent) and Salmonella (18 percent).

When figures for 1996–1998 and 2004 are compared, there were significant declines in illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 (42 percent), Listeria monocytogenes (40 percent), Campylobacter (31 percent) and Yersinia (45 percent). Salmonella incidence decreased overall by 8 percent but of the five most common serotypes only the incidence of S. Typhimurium decreased significantly.

The report notes that the observed declines in incidence have occurred concurrently with several important food safety initiatives and food education efforts. It also notes that the decline in Salmonella incidence was modest compared with other foodborne bacterial pathogens highlighting the need for greater efforts to understand the complex epidemiology of Salmonella and to identify effective pathogen reduction strategies.

It will be interesting to observe if these declines are maintained in the US and to see if sufficient data is collected in Australia to measure the effect of changes instituted by government and industry in this country.

As discussed in our March bulletin, it appears that these improvements noted in the US are not mirrored in Australia. Continued and improved surveillance will assist in monitoring the Australian situation.

* The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) of CDC's Emerging Infections Program collects data from 10 US states on diseases caused by enteric pathogens commonly transmitted through food.