Beef industry leaders have pledged their support to further reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7 (commonly referred to as E. coli) in the beef supply and committed to a series of industry-wide actions to move them toward this goal. More than 200 industry leaders, representing each link in the beef production chain, participated in this intensive, checkoff-funded two-day working summit.

"Today, the leaders of our industry have taken unprecedented action to ensure that safe, wholesome U.S. beef becomes even safer," said Terry Stokes, CEO, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which managed the Summit on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and America's beef producers. "Safety has always been our top priority and as a result, U.S. beef is one of the safest in the world. But we can do even better. I am confident that the farm-to-table solutions we've identified at this Summit will help us further reduce and eventually eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in the beef supply," Stokes said.

The action plan is designed to build on recent successes in combating foodborne pathogens. An April 2002 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed an overall 23 percent decline in illness from the top four bacterial pathogens since 1996. Moreover, the report stated that E. coli infections alone had dropped 21 percent since 2000.

The Summit focused on identifying good manufacturing practices, interventions and research needs to reduce the incidents of E. coli. Action steps were identified for each industry segment: cattle production, fabrication, processing, retail and foodservice. Specific actions recommended include:

• Expanded research and fast-tracked approval of interventions such as vaccines and feed additives
• Standardization of safety testing and verification at packing plants
• Uniform practice of sampling, testing and negative confirmation before meat processing
• Microbial control systems for foodservice suppliers
• Consumer information regarding cooking temperatures and thermometer use