Oct 5_ 2007 FSIS to Host Public Meeting__

Congressional and Public Affairs
Bridgette Keefe (202) 720-9113

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2007 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today announced a public meeting to solicit input on the public health significance of various strains of Escherichia coli ( E. coli).

Currently only one strain, E. coli O157:H7 is considered an adulterant in meat. The CDC has reported an increase in the number of non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections from 2000 to 2005. Outbreaks from these organisms have been reported in the U.S. since 1990, and foodborne exposures have been suspected in many of these outbreaks.

The purpose of the meeting is to solicit input from academia, consumers, other public health and regulatory agencies and industry on the issue of whether non-O157:H7 STECs should be considered to be adulterants as E. coli O157:H7.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the George Mason University Arlington campus, 3401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 244, Arlington, Va., 22201.

To pre-register to attend in person or via teleconference, visit FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov or contact Sheila Johnson at (202) 690-6498 or by e-mail at Sheila.Johnson@fsis.usda.gov.

The agenda and other related will be available prior to the meeting on the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/.

All interested parties are welcome to submit comments by Oct. 15 to Dr. Denise Eblen by phone (202) 690-6238, fax (202) 690-6364, e-mail Denise.Eblen@fsis.usda.gov, or by mail to U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Office of Public Health Science, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, 357 Aerospace Center, Washington, DC 20250. Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify Dr. Eblen by Oct. 10.

FSIS

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Web Content Viewer (JSR 286)

Web Content Viewer (JSR 286)

Web Content Viewer (JSR 286)

Web Content Viewer (JSR 286)

Web Content Viewer (JSR 286)

FSIS

United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service