Each year in the United States, an estimated 48 million people get sick from foodborne pathogens, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To help keep our food safe to eat, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed new methods to test beef for the presence of harmful pathogens.
At the ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska, scientists have developed a continuous sampling device (CSD) and a manual sampling device (MSD) to be used during beef processing.
“Using these devices—the CSD and MSD—can result in a better sample to test for E. coli O157:H7 than the current pathogen-sampling system, and that means a safer beef product for consumers and reduced labor and costs for processors,” says USMARC food technologist and research leader Tommy Wheeler.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA ARS
