Nearly 1 in 300 Samples Of Ground Beef Contain E. Coli

Gillibrand Says Over 900 Food Products Have Been Recalled for Various Violations from New York City Shelves Since 2005

October 18, 2009 -- New York, NY - In response to a new report out this month from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) showing nearly 1 out of every 300 samples of ground beef contains E. coli, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the first New York senator to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, joined today with consumers who have contracted E. coli from contaminated food, plus medical and food safety experts to announce the E. coli Eradication Act.

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This new legislation authored by Gillibrand would for the first time mandate E. coli inspections of all ground beef. While there is currently no federal requirement for meat grinders to test their products for the virus, the number of annual recalls nationally of ground beef and other beef products contaminated with E. coli is in the double digits and 58 New York City residents were afflicted with E. coli last year alone.

To further highlight the need to significantly overhaul the nation's food safety laws for the first time in more than a century, Gillibrand released new data showing that over 900 food products have been recalled from New York City shelves for various violations since 2005. The list of recalled products include turkey breast, glazed ham, fresh vegetables, chocolate cheese spread, caramel spread, preserved olives, dried prunes and chicken frankfurters. The Senator outlined a comprehensive food safety plan to improve inspection, recall response, and public education.

"In America, in 2009, it is unconscionable that food is still going straight to our kitchens, school cafeterias and restaurants without being properly tested to ensure its safety," Senator Gillibrand said. "It's spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives. We need to do a better job of catching contaminated food before it ever comes close to a kitchen table. My plan addresses the gaps in the inspection process and improves recalls and public education, so parents have the information to keep their families safe."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year an estimated 87 million Americans are sickened by contaminated food, 371,000 are hospitalized with food-borne illness, and 5,700 die from food-related disease. In New York City, approximately 2.1 million people are afflicted with a food-borne illness each year.

Salmonella is the most common food-borne illness - causing over 1 million illnesses each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. Another 70,000 in America fall victim to E. coli each year. From meat and poultry to peanut butter, fruits and vegetables, almost every type of food we eat each day has the potential for contamination because of outdated, insufficient safeguards and testing processes.

Senator Gillibrand's office compiled new data which shows that over 900 food products have been recalled for various violations since 2005.

Source: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand