ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 IN GROUND BEEF
Review of a Draft Risk Assessment
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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.
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.
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COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF THE USDA E. COLI O157:H7 FARM-TO-TABLE PROCESS RISK ASSESSMENT
Michael P. Doyle, PhD (Chair), Regents Professor of Food Microbiology and Director of the Center for Food Safety,
University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
Scott Ferson, PhD, Senior Scientist and Vice President,
Applied Biomathematics, Setauket, New York
Dale D. Hancock, DVM, MS, PhD, Professor and Epidemiologist,
Field Disease Investigation Unit, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor and Director,
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development, Baltimore, Maryland
Greg Paoli, MASc, President,
Decisionalysis Risk Consultants, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario
Barbara J. Peterson, PhD, MPH, Principal/Practice Director,
Food and Chemicals Practice, Exponent, Washington, DC
John N. Sofos, PhD, Professor,
Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
Susan S. Sumner, PhD, Professor, Department Head and Extension Project Leader,
Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
Liaison from the Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Hugh Tilson, MD, DrPH, Clinical Professor of Epidemiology and Health Policy and Senior Adviser to the Dean, School of Public Health,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Staff
David A. Butler, PhD, Study Director
Allison Yates, PhD, RD, Director,
Food and Nutrition Board
Rose Marie Martinez, ScD, Director,
Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Jennifer A. Cohen, Research Associate
Anna Staton, MPA, Research Assistant
Elizabeth Albrigo, Project Assistant
Rita Gaskins, Division Assistant
Jim Banihashemi, JD, Financial Associate
Melissa French, Financial Associate
Norman Grossblatt, Senior Editor
Staff Consultant
Ricardo Molins, PhD, Senior Staff Officer
Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Mindy Brashears, PhD, Texas Tech University
P. Michael Davidson, PhD, University of Tennessee
Colin O. Gill, PhD, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Jimmy T. Keeton, PhD, Texas A&M University
Jørgen Schlundt, DVM, PhD, World Health Organization
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Stephen L. Taylor, PhD, University of Nebraska and Ronald W. Estabrook, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Appointed by the NRC, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Preface
The efforts of the Committee on the Review of the USDA E. coli O157:H7 Farm-to-Table Process Risk Assessment were supported by the work and dedication of the project staff and numerous other individuals who shared their thoughts and expertise with the committee. We could not have completed our task satisfactorily without the substantial help of the these individuals.
We are particularly indebted to Wayne Schlosser and Eric Ebel of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), who provided detailed information on the draft risk assessment and answered the committee’s many questions. Special thanks are also extended to I. Kaye Wachsmuth, Karen Hulebak, Carol Maczka, and Kathleen Orloski of USDA, and Anna Lammerding of Health Canada, for their expert advice and assistance. Edmund Crouch of Cambridge Environmental Inc. contributed a detailed examination of the draft model spreadsheet that is reproduced as Appendix D of this report. Randall Huffman of the American Meat Foundation Institute and Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest provided comments for the committee’s consideration.
We greatly appreciate the guidance and insights offered by our liaison from IOM’s Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Hugh Tilson. Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) Chair Cutberto Garza, and FNB member Robert Smith provided input on report drafts.
David A. Butler, who served as the study director for this project, worked in concert with Ricardo Molins of FNB to produce this report. The committee would also like to acknowledge the excellent work of IOM staff members Jennifer Cohen, Anna Staton, and Elizabeth Albrigo. Thanks are
also extended to Melissa French and Jim Banihashemi, who handled the finances for the project; Norman Grossblatt who provided editorial input; William McLeod, who conducted database searches; Jennifer Otten, who supervised the report through the editorial and publication phases; Bronwyn Schrecker, who shepherded the report through the review process; and Rita Gaskins, who provided administrative support to the project.
Michael P. Doyle, Chair