Industry officials say the treatment could be useful if it is shown to be effective in packing plants. Previously, government scientists had thought the infection rate to be no more than about five per cent. Cattle are exposed to the bacteria from manure in feedlots. The new figures were developed by the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service and presented at a public session sponsored by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The study concluded that chances of E. coli getting into ground beef could be reduced by testing cattle hides and carcasses before the meat is processed.
Testing now is done after the beef is ground.
Consumer groups agree that the government needs to require far more extensive testing of cattle and beef to prevent people from being exposed to the germs. Research done at a dozen packing plants last fall found the bacteria on 3.56 per cent of the hides that were sampled and 0.44 per cent of the carcasses. All the bacteria on the sample carcasses were eventually removed through steam pasteurization, hot water or organic acid rinses, the treatments typically used in packing plants. Samples in the industry study were taken at a rate of one per 300 carcasses. E. coli O157 can cause serious illness and sometimes death, especially in children and the elderly.