The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) recently published a guidance document on the pre-harvest control of E. coli. You can read it here.
In this document FSIS recommends that slaughter establishment receive cattle from beef producers that implemented one or more documented pre-harvest management practices.
The details of the pre-harvest interventions USDA-FSIS documents are absolutely in conformance with the pre-harvest interventions that VeriPrime cattlemen have been suggesting to processors. USDA-FSIS has been largely silent on the issue of pre-harvest control of E. coli until now. We commend them for creating the guidance document and for beginning to address managing E. coli issue at its source.
VeriPrime beef producers are looking forward to working with processors as they implement the new guidance from USDA-FSIS.
