E. coli Concerns Results in Over 10 Million Pounds of Food Recalled

Cinnaminson, NJ, April 19, 2013

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall of more than 10.5 million pounds of various heat-treated, but not fully cooked frozen mini meals and snack items. The recall is associated with concerns over potential contamination with E. coli 0121.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although many strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make people very sick. E. coli O157:H7 is perhaps the most well known type of the bacteria, but this particular recall concerns E. coli 0121.

E. coli serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145 are the non-O157 serogroups that most often cause illness in people in the United States. While more than 50 STEC serogroups have been reported to be associated with human illness, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that over 70% of Non-O157 STEC illnesses are due to these six serogroups.

One company that has extensive experience with helping food companies test their products for microbial contaminants to prevent outbreaks and costly recalls is EMSL Analytical, Inc. “Some kinds of E. coli cause disease by making a toxin called Shiga toxin,” reported Joy Dell’Aringa, M.S., RM (NRM), CFSP, National Food Director at EMSL Analytical. “The bacteria that make these toxins are known as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC for short.  Anyone can become ill if exposed to these bacteria.”

EMSL has sponsored an online video about E. coli that can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlyfc-5fVqI. The company also offers an educational STEC poster for food experts that can be ordered at: http://www.emsl.com/index.cfm?nav=Pages&ID=501.

To learn more about testing for microbial contaminants or other food testing services please visit: www.FoodTestingLab.com or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com .

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of food, environmental, and materials testing services and products to government agencies, industry professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com