As an outbreak of a zoonotic disease in Paraguay has been resolved, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a final rule to allow the importation of fresh beef from the country under certain conditions, beginning December 14, 2023.
The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Escherichia coli found on retail beef and pork meat samples in the UK is relatively low, according to surveillance conducted by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has notified constituents that establishments wishing to adopt the cloth sampling method (i.e., manual sampling device or continuous sampling device) for Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) testing of raw beef products no longer require a “No Objection Letter” (NOL) from FSIS.
After a review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has deemed Paraguay’s food safety inspection system for raw beef products to be equivalent to that of the U.S., which is a step that could allow Paraguay to export beef to the U.S. for the first time since 1997.
In a recent study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) as one of the top five pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses in the U.S. Cases of salmonellosis were largely associated with beef products, despite implementation of interventions at slaughter and processing facilities to reduce contamination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced upcoming changes and expansions to its beef sampling and testing programs for Escherichia coli and Salmonella.
A study published in China CDC Weekly gives insight into the mortality rate of past foodborne botulism outbreaks in China, and also points out seasonal, regional, and product trends associated with botulism cases.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS) recently published a Research Brief that highlights two recent food safety studies related to Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7.
The UK conducts annual surveillance of Escherichia coli with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on retail meats. The 2021 data shows the prevalence of AMR E. coli has remained low and consistent in retail beef and pork since 2015.
A recent study evaluated and compared the level of conformity with food safety requirements in cattle and pig slaughterhouses, for which large-scale and beef facilities scored better, on average.