Food > Consumer Centre > Causes of Food Borne Illness

E. COLI O157:H7 MYTHS VS REALITY

Recent articles on food safety have suggested that Canada’s inspection system is not tough enough on E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would like to set the record straight.

MYTH: Some suggest that the United States has a zero tolerance for E. coli O157:H7 whereas the CFIA has a tolerance of up to 100 of these bacteria per gram of meat.

FACT: When any amount of E. coli O157:H7 is isolated in ground meat, that meat is recalled in Canada as well as in the U.S. Both countries have the same zero tolerance level for E. coli O157:H7 in ground meat. The difference is that Canada takes the additional precaution to inspect slaughterhouses for cleanliness when any type of E. coli is found at levels above 100 bacteria per gram of meat.

MYTH: The United States errs on the side of food safety whereas the CFIA is more concerned about industry.

FACT: Health Canada establishes Canada’s food safety standards and policies. Under these guidelines, the CFIA takes action if ground beef is found contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, as is also done in the U.S. In addition, the CFIA takes action when boneless beef is found to be contaminated with this bacteria. Actions can range from a review of the manufacturing controls to a full recall of the entire lot of boneless beef.

MYTH: It is possible to effectively test meat for the presence of E. coli O157:H7.

FACT: Health Canada does not recommend routine sample testing as a public health measure because the rate of occurrence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef products is very low. In addition, E. coli O157:H7 is not found uniformly over the surface of raw meat. This makes sampling for E. coli O157:H7 an ineffective means of detecting contaminated product. In fact, a negative result does not guarantee that the whole lot is negative.

MYTH: If raw ground meat is found positive for E. coli O157:H7, it automatically means that industry or government is not doing their job.

FACT: Many types of E. coli bacteria are normally present in animals. E. coli O157:H7 does not make an animal sick so it cannot be detected by visual inspection methods. Everyone has a role in the safety of our food: cattlemen are implementing a quality control program; slaughterhouses are implementing the best operational controls; full-time government inspectors are inspecting animals and carcasses at slaughterhouses; distributors and retailers handle meat under the best sanitary conditions. Consumers play a role by following proper hygiene. The CFIA’s primary mandate is food safety and consumer protection. From producer to consumer, everyone plays a part in minimizing contamination but raw meat may contain harmful bacteria and should be handled accordingly.

Best food safety practices to be followed by consumers to avoid foodborne illness are:

Clean hands, counter tops and utensils before, during and after preparing foods. Wash all produce thoroughly before eating or cooking.
Separate -- Keep raw meats and their juices away from other foods during storage and preparation.
Cook ground beef until it reaches 71ºC in the centre and juices run clear. Serve immediately so foods don’t linger at room temperatures where bacteria can grow.
Chill -- Refrigerate meat at 4ºC or less or keep it frozen at -18ºC.

For more information:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency: (613) 225-2342, CFIA Media Relations: (613) 228-6682 or the CFIA website: www.inspection.gc.ca

P0198E-00
September 2000