Background: Consumption of undercooked ground beef contaminated with bacteria, typically E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella, is a well-known cause of foodborne illness. In order tore call product associated with illness from commerce and identify opportunities to improve product safety, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) investigates reports of foodborne illness that may be associated with FSIS-regulated products. In many circumstances where ground beef was purchased at retail stores, investigators are provided only with purchase information (e.g., date and location of purchase, description of ground beef). Investigators must then rely heavily on retail production records(grinding logs) kept in retail stores and meat markets to gather the information needed to undertake traceback actions.

Methods: FSIS conducted a retrospective review of 28investigations from October 2007 through September 2011 in which beef products were ground or re-ground at retail stores to describe their beef grinding and record-keeping practices. Case-patients included in the study provided information adequate to facilitate identification of the product in question, including the product identity and date and location of purchase. Investigators gathered this information through purchase receipts, shoppers’ cards, and credit card records. 

Results: 23 (82%) of the 28 investigations involved E. coliO157:H7; the remaining five (18%) investigations involved Salmonella spp. In 11 (39%) of 28 investigations grinding logs were kept and complete enough to determine the identity of products used to make ground beef at retail facilities. Production records were either incomplete or not kept at retail in the 17 other investigations. In 6 of the 11 (55%) investigations with complete production logs, FSIS successfully traced product back to source establishments and recalled potentially contaminated products. In contrast, FSIS conducted only 2 recalls in the remaining 17investigations.

Conclusions: The review of ground beef production records in retail facilities during foodborne illness outbreaks shows that records are often not maintained so that investigators can identify the source product. Inadequate records impeded the agency’s ability to quickly respond during foodborne disease investigations. Detailed retail grinding logs and policies that prevent cross-contamination between batches of ground beef products are crucial in the identification of contaminated beef products associated with foodborne illness. Clear guidance or best practices regarding proper in-store production records will facilitate needed changes in retail markets’ ground beef policies and recordkeeping activities.