The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing that on February 1, 2023, the Agency will expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli that are adulterants (non-O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145), in addition to the adulterant Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components in addition to raw beef manufacturing trimmings in official establishments. The raw ground beef components to be tested for these six non-O157 STEC, hereafter “other raw ground beef components,” are: head meat, cheek meat, weasand (esophagus) meat, product from advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems, partially defatted chopped beef and partially defatted beef fatty tissue, low temperature rendered lean finely textured beef, and heart meat. Currently, FSIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7. Otherwise, all other raw beef products are tested only for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. FSIS also will begin testing for these non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail stores and in applicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products. Additionally, FSIS is responding to comments regarding the STEC testing expansion and the costs and benefits analysis (CBA), as well as its updated STEC laboratory testing criteria for determining whether a result is positive.

Dates

Beginning February 1, 2023, FSIS will implement routine verification testing for the six additional STECs discussed in this document (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) in raw ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. At this time, FSIS also will implement testing for these non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail stores and in applicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products.

For Further Information Contact

Rachel Edelstein, Assistant Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development by telephone at (202) 205-0495.