E. coli Testing: To Fund or Not to Fund? It’s an Important Question

Fruits and vegetables that we eat raw (lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, melons, etc.) are one of the main causes of food-borne illness outbreaks.  Therefore, you may be reassured to know that the federal government’s Microbiological Data Program (MDP) tests about 15,000 annual samples of vulnerable produce for salmonella and E. coli, including the most deadly types of this latter organism.  And you may be apprehensive and enjoy your summer fruits and salads less if you read that last month the House voted to stop funding this program.  Will the Senate do the same?  Should you be writing to your senator asking him/her to vote against this effort to end MDP?  Let’s look at what the arguments are on both sides. 

The Microbiological Data Program (MDP) is a national food-borne pathogen monitoring program implemented in 2001. Through cooperation with state agriculture departments and federal agencies, MDP manages the collection, analysis, data entry, and reporting of food-borne pathogens on selected agricultural commodities.

Arguments in support of keeping MDP:

1. The FDA otherwise checks about 1,000 samples a year compared with the 15,000 that the MDP checks.

2. Within the past two years, MDP findings led to recalls of 19 or more products, says the FDA.

3. Regarding E. coli, the FDA tests only the 0157H7 strain, while  MDP tests for additional pathogenic strains, including (says the Chicago Tribune) the “Shiga toxin-carrying strains that contaminated sprouts in Europe, killing more than 40 and sickening 4,100.”

4. We do a better job of checking for contaminated meat and poultry than we do of checking produce, so MDP is needed.

Arguments in support of ending the program:

1. Discontinuing the program would save the federal government $4.5 million annually.

2. Industry representatives, including Kathy Means of the Produce Marketing Association, claim that the program is duplicative, that similar screening is done by other agencies.

3. Critics of MDP say that it has overstepped its authority because it was originally intended to be a monitoring program, but it has morphed into a regulatory program that issues recalls, some of which are based upon a single sample of contaminated produce.

We asked a member of the Shelf Life Advice Advisory Board to comment on this issue.  Here’s what Dr. Joe Regenstein said:  “I have mixed feelings about all of the government’s microbiological data collection.  In my mind it violates the basic concept of HACCP for two reasons—instead of controlling the hazards, it returns to post-processing testing.”  [HACCP is the government’s management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical and physical hazards from raw materials production to consumption of the finished product.]  Furthermore, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack; the odds of finding contamination are not that great. And it may give a false sense of security.” 

On the other hand, Dr. Regenstein points out the irony of the government’s contradictory response to the threat of food-borne illness.  On January 4, 2011, Congress passed, with much fanfare, the comprehensive FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, but it’s likely to deny the Act sufficient funding to do what it’s mandated to do.  Now, in addition, MDP may be dropped.  

What’s next for the bill involving MDP?   It goes to the Senate, which (says the Chicago Tribune) “will craft its version of the discretionary spending bill for FDA and USDA programs over the next few months.”  Will the final decision affect how much raw produce you’ll consume? 

Whether you want it or not, here’s my opinion: I’m a coward who’s deathly afraid of invisible “things” that could kill me or even cause me to spend a few days in the bathroom and/or my bed.  I don’t mind if there is a little duplication if it’s done in the interest of protecting me and my family. (And Dr. Regenstein says that, given how little is tested, there is not duplication). To me, $4.5 million sounds like a pittance compared to the billions and trillions the government usually deals with.  I’m hoping our senators can find a safer way to save money and allow MDP to keep looking for those dangerous needles in the haystacks of produce we consume.  I’m also hoping the Food Safety Act is adequately funded. Shelf Life Advice will keep you informed.

Source(s):

Chicago Tribune “E. coli test of produce may be cut”

July 4, 2011

Joe Regenstein, Ph.D., Cornell University, Dept. of Food Science

FDA “Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points”

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/HazardAnalysisCriticalControlPointsHACCP/default.htm