Abstract
The 1993 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger inspired innovation in both the US public and private sectors. The Food Safety and Inspection Service in US Department of Agriculture declared E. coli O157:H7 an “adulterant” in 1994 and required meat and poultry companies to design and implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point systems to control foodborne pathogens in 1996. In response to the outbreak and new regulations, companies invented the Bacterial Pathogen Sampling and Testing Program for the hamburger patty production line as well as steam pasteurization of sides of beef at the end of the slaughter line. These innovations were profitable to the inventors. The increased pressure by regulators to control pathogens also provided incentives for pathogen control, including the incentive of sales to USDA’s National School Lunch Program. One company did not comply, had an outbreak, and sold off its beef plants.
Keywords
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- APC:
-
Aerobic plate counts
- ARS:
-
USDA’s Agricultural Research Service
- BIFSCo:
-
Beef Industry Food Safety Council
- BPSTP:
-
Bacterial Pathogen Sampling and Testing Program
- BSPS:
-
Beef steam pasteurization system
- BSPS-SC:
-
BSPS-Static Chamber unit
- CCP:
-
Critical control point
- CDC:
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- DOJ:
-
US Department of Justice
- ERS:
-
Economic Research Service
- FDA:
-
US Food and Drug Administration
- FSIS:
-
Food Safety and Inspection Service
- HACCP:
-
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
- HUS:
-
Hemolytic uremic syndrome
- IAFP:
-
International Association for Food Protection
- KSU:
-
Kansas State University
- MOU:
-
Memorandum of understanding
- NCBA:
-
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- NSLP:
-
National School Lunch Program
- OIG:
-
Office of Inspector General/USDA
- PR:
-
Pathogen reduction
- STEC:
-
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
- STOP:
-
Safe Tables Our Priority
- US:
-
United States
- USDA:
-
US Department of Agriculture
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Roberts, T. (2018). Economic Incentives for Innovation: E. coli O157:H7 in US Beef. In: Roberts, T. (eds) Food Safety Economics. Food Microbiology and Food Safety(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92138-9_10
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