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HALF OF ALL FEEDLOT CATTLE CONTAMINATED BY E. COLI

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A draft USDA study released in March 2000, reports that 89 percent of ground beef contains traces of the deadly bacteria E. coli 0157:H7. It is estimated that 52 Americans die each year from exposure to the microbe. As many as 60,000 to 70,000 others are sickened from it annually. Exposure usually comes from undercooked ground beef.

Each batch of ground beef tested by the USDA contained as much as 3,000 pounds of meat. Only trace amounts of the bacteria were found. But under the right conditions, bacteria can multiply rapidly.

Consumer groups are calling for more thorough testing throughout the slaughter and processing of beef to control and reduce the contamination. The American Meat Institute http://www.meatami.org, an industry organization, wants USDA to focus on better cleaning of carcasses with hot water, steam or organic acids.

The ground beef study comes on the heels of an earlier USDA study that showed up to 50 percent of cattle in feedlots may be contaminated with E. coli during certain times of the year.

One of the solutions suggested by the USDA was to treat beef with milk protein called lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is a bacteria inhibitor.

SOURCES: Julie Vorman, "Draft Study Claims Most Ground Meat in U.S. Tainted by E. coli," THE MANITOBA CO-OPERATOR, March 9, 2000; Philip Brasher, "USDA Releases Cattle Study Results," AGWEEK, March 6, 2000; "Half of Nations Feedlot Cattle Found to Carry E. coli," MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, March 1, 2000.

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