USDA says it does not need additional authority on meat recalls.

A USDA official told a House hearing on November 7 that USDA does not need additional authority to conduct meat recalls and would oppose any move to make the removal of such items from the market mandatory. A series of large recalls in the last few months, attributed mostly to E. coli O157:H7, prompted USDA earlier this year to expand testing and recall infected meat more rapidly to combat the pathogen. This year, 19 recalls related to E. coli in beef have occurred, compared with just eight in 2006. USDA regulates about 20 percent of the food supply, covering eggs, meat and poultry. The FDA covers the rest.

"I think we do a very good job with recalls at this point at time," USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond, a physician by training, told the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. "I believe we have all the legal authority we need to do our job," he said. Currently, the industry initiates recalls voluntarily. Raymond said the current process works and any move by lawmakers to make recalls mandatory was unnecessary and risks causing the system to work less efficiently.

Raymond said there are several factors USDA is investigating that could be responsible for the rise in E. coli discoveries. They include the pathogen becoming resistant to drugs and changes in weather or diet that can lead to stress in the animal. He assured lawmakers it was not because companies are being careless or inspectors sloppy in their work. "I think it's starting with the animal's environment," said Raymond. "There is a change in what we feed cattle and I don't know if that has created a problem."

In October, U.S. food safety inspectors issued a series of initiatives to combat E. coli contamination of meat products. The actions follow an announcement in July that it increased the number of tests of ground beef by more than 75 percent. Starting this month, all beef plants must be able to verify they are effectively controlling E. coli during slaughter and processing. And in 2008, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will test plants that handle a larger volume of beef, and those with recent positive tests more frequently than in the past.

Recent recalls by the packers and retail grocers, Raymond said, demonstrated that the enforcement system is working well and, where it might fail, he will recommend tougher regulations. House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) noted the high number of recalls and illnesses related to food-borne pathogens this year. "We have seen close to 20 recalls related to E. coli in beef in 2007, with seven recalls in the last 30 days alone. To put that in perspective, there were eight recalls for all of 2006." Raymond acknowledged the increase in illnesses and recalls and pledged "to do more to strengthen policies and programs. Public health is a lot like riding a bicycle. If we're not moving forward, then we're falling down, and in public health there is no such thing as training wheels."