Industry News - PM

Consumer Reports investigation finds antibiotic-resistant bacteria in pork


By Michael Fielding on 11/27/2012

In testing and analysis of pork chop and ground-pork samples from six U.S. cities, Consumer Reports, the policy and action arm of Consumers Union, found high rates of yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. The majority of the yersinia was resistant to medically important antibiotics Consumer Reports tested.

Consumer Reports tested 148 samples of meat from pork chops and 50 from ground pork. The pork samples came from many major and store brands, but the sample sizes were small and distinctions among them could not be drawn.

In a separate test to determine the presence of ractopamine, Consumer Reports analyzed 240 additional pork products. That test found very low levels of ractopamine.

Following are some key findings:

  • Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 69 percent of the tested pork samples. These lesser-known bacteria are estimated to cause foodborne illness in about 100,000 Americans a year and are associated with pork.
  • Salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, or listeria monocytogenes were found in 3 to 7 percent of samples. Additionally, 11 percent harbored enterococcus, which may indicate fecal contamination and may cause non-foodborne related infections such as urinary-tract infections.
  • Most of the bacteria found were resistant to at least one of the tested antibiotic drugs.
  • Ground pork was more likely than pork chops to harbor pathogens.
  • Very low but detectible levels of ractopamine were found in about one-fifth of the samples tested for the drug. The levels were below U.S. and international limits.
  • What Consumer reports called “misleading and unapproved claims” such as “no antibiotic growth promotants” and “no antibiotic residues” were found on some packages of pork and reported to the USDA for investigation.
  • No labels disclose the use of ractopamine. Government standards for “no antibiotics used” and “no hormones added” claims do not prohibit the use of ractopamine.

Consumers Union recently launched its Meat Without Drugs campaign to persuade grocery stores to stop selling meat and poultry raised on a steady diet of antibiotics. Consumers Union is focusing its initial campaign efforts on grocery chain Trader Joe's.

Consumers Union has also urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit the use of antibiotics in food animals for growth promotion and disease prevention. The group has urged the FDA to limit antibiotic use to the treatment of veterinarian-diagnosed sick animals only.

Industry reaction

"The most critical takeaway for U.S. pork consumers is this: U.S. pork remains among the safest in the world and consumers needn't change their eating habits despite a new article released by Consumer Reports that is based upon a limited sample of the U.S. pork supply,” said American Meat Institute Foundation President James Hodges in a statement. “All pork products must be processed under the watchful eye of USDA inspectors or they may not be sold. Consumers should choose the products they prefer knowing that all must meet the same food safety standards in order to bear the USDA seal.”

Hodges pointed out that U.S. pork processors use many food safety technologies to ensure pork safety. While our goal is to destroy all bacteria during processing, nature dictates that all raw agricultural products -- including pork -- can contain bacteria. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data indicate that overall, infections with Yersinia enterocolitica from all foods have been slashed by one-third since 1999.

Ractopamine a non-issue

The National Pork Board noted in a statement that ractopamine is a normal supplement used by farmers and ranchers in the United States, Canada, Australia and two dozen other countries across the developed world and has been approved by numerous regulatory bodies, including the FDA, as a safe supplement that helps produce lean, healthy animals.

Iowa State University Veterinarian Scott Hurd told Meatingplace there is no risk from consuming the low levels of ractopamine cited by Consumer Reports. "It is so safe you could eat 770 pounds in one day" before getting close to the safe level limit set by the FDA. 

NPB also noted only a few strains of Yersinia enterocolitica cause illness in humans. The major animal reservoir for Yersinia enterocolitica strains that cause human illness is pigs, but other strains are also found in many other animals including rodents, rabbits, sheep, cattle, horses, dogs and cats.

USDA’s end-point cooking temperature recommendation of 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a three-minute rest ensures the safety of pork.


 
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