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.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF THE USDA E. COLI O157:H7 FARM-TO-TABLE PROCESS RISK ASSESSMENT
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Executive Summary
• 1. Summary of the Food Safety and Inspection Service Draft Risk Assessment
  • PRODUCTION MODULE
  • SLAUGHTER MODULE
  • PREPARATION MODULE
  • HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION MODULE
  • RISK CHARACTERIZATION MODULE
  • REFERENCE
• 2. Production Module
  • FECAL PREVALENCE AS THE SOLE OUTPUT OF THE PRODUCTION MODULE
  • DEFENSIBILITY OF PREVALENCE ESTIMATES FOR CULL COWS AND FEEDLOT ANIMALS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Slaughter Module
  • LACK OF DATA AND DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH DATA COLLECTION
  • SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION AND CROSS CONTAMINATION DURING SLAUGHTER AND FABRICATION
  • LEVELS AND EXTENT OF SURFACE-AREA CONTAMINATION
  • TERMINOLOGY CONCERNS
  • OTHER OBSERVATIONS
  • SUMMARY REMARKS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Preparation Module
  • CROSS CONTAMINATION
  • MODELING IN THE PREPARATION MODULE
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Hazard Characterization
  • REVIEW OF THE HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION CHAPTER
  • SUMMARY REMARKS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Risk Characterization
  • DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
  • RISK OF ILLNESS FROM E. COLI O157:H7
  • POPULATION RISK BY SEASON, AGE, AND LOCATION
  • SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • GENERAL COMMENTS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Modeling Approach and Implementation
  • DESCRIPTION OF THE OVERALL MODELING APPROACH
  • DESCRIPTION OF MODEL-UPDATING (ANCHORING) ALGORITHMS
  • MODEL VALIDATION
  • MODELING ISSUES IN HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION
  • SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
  • JUSTIFICATION OF MODELING ASSUMPTIONS
  • OVERALL MODEL UNCERTAINTY AND RELIABILITY
  • REFERENCES
• Appendix A Agendas of Public Meetings Held by the Committee on the Review of the USDA E. coli O157:H7 Farm-to-Table Risk Assessment
• Appendix B Additional Comments
• Appendix C Committee and Staff Biographies
• Appendix D E. Coli Assessment: Some comments by Edmund Crouch, PhD, Cambridge Environmental Inc.

Support for this project was provided by the US Department of Agriculture. The views presented in this report are those of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Review of the USDA E. coli O157:H7 Farm-to-Table Process Risk Assessment and are not necessarily those of the funding agencies.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.