Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Ground Beef : Review of a Draft Risk Assessment

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is formulating risk assessments to identify important foodborne hazards; evaluate potential strategies to prevent, reduce, or eliminate those hazards; assess the effects of different mitigation strategies; and identify research needs. These risk assessments, in brief, empirically characterize the determinants of the presence or level of microbial contamination in vulnerable foodstuffs at various points leading up to consumption. One of the initial efforts in the undertaking is a risk assessment of the public health impact of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. In addition to soliciting public input, FSIS asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a committee of experts to review the draft and offer recommendations and suggestions for consideration as the agency finalizes the document. This report presents the results of that review. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Summary of the Food Safety and Inspection Service Draft Risk Assessment2 Production Module3 Slaughter Module4 Preparation Module5 Hazard Characterization6 Risk Characterization7 Modeling Approach and ImplementationAppendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings Held by the Committee on the Review of the USDA E. Coli 0157:H7 Farm-to-Table Risk AssessmentAppendix B: Additional CommentsAppendix C: Committee and Staff BiographiesAppendix D: E. Coli Assessment: Some Comments by Edmund Crouch, PhD, Cambridge Environmental Inc.