Robert Hutkins, food science & technology, middle, chats with Jack Morris, left and Paul Blum, right, both with the School of Biological Sciences, during a break at the Governor's Conference on Ensuring Meat Safety Monday. The conference dealt primarily with E. coli 0157:H7's threat to the food supply and strategies to combat the danger. (Photo: Richard Wright)
From farms and ranches to processing plants, grocery stores and restaurants, everyone has a role in meat safety. And cooperation among government, academia and industry is needed to keep the United States' food supply as safe as possible. That was the concensus of experts during the two-day Governor's Conference on Ensuring Meat Safety earlier this week.
The conference, subtitled "Developing a Research and Outreach Agenda on E. coli 0157:H7," examined food safety issues facing beef producers, processors, retailers, food service providers and others in the industry, said Steve Taylor, head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at UNL.
Taylor invited industry to work with NU and state government to help develop a research and education agenda for meat safety.
Mike Doyle, head of the University of Georgia's Department of Food Science and one of the nation's foremost authorities on food pathogens, said E. coli 0157:H7 "is changing the rule books of food microbiologists." It has been found in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Africa, Doyle said.
Cattle manure has been widely reported as a source of E. coli 0157:H7, but the bacteria also has been detected in other ruminant animals, including sheep, goats and deer, Doyle said. Although undercooked ground beef has been the most publicized source of that strain of E. coli, it has also been found in unpasteurized apple juice, lettuce and untreated lake water.
Tanya Roberts, a U.S. Department of Agriculture senior economist, said a 1996 estimate by USDA's Economic Research Service, suggested foodborne illnesses cost $2.9 billion to $6.7 billion annually.
Some 20,000 to 40,000 cases of E. coli 0157:H7 were reported in the United States in 1996. Many were among children who became sick enough to need kidney dialysis or transplants, she said. Some have died.
While the incidence of the disease is rare, E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks have planted the perception of an unsafe food supply in the public's mind, said Dan Laster, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat Animal Research Center at Clay Center.
Because everyone eats, that perception becomes the problem for farmers, ranchers, processors, retailers and consumers, Laster said.
The federal government has adopted a $101 million food safety initiative that increases government research on new pathogen tests, pathogen control and intervention and epidemiological studies to identify risk factors in the nation's food system.
Last month, large meat plants implemented a new safety regulatory process. Through the new Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points program, processors identify critical production points where food contamination can occur and adopt controls that improve product handling. Smaller plants must implement the program in two years.
Dennis Burson, University of Nebraska meat specialist, said small businesses can expect to face special challenges in implementing a new federal food safety regulatory process.
NU Cooperative Extension has been working with some small processors to help them prepare to meet the new standards, Burson said.
Food industry speakers said the public would benefit from learning more about how much self-policing the industry does regarding food safety.
"We are not the enemy, the pathogen is our enemy," said Herb Brinkmeyer, director of meat and seafood for Omaha-based Baker's Inc. grocery.
Mike Donahue, director of government relations for McDonald's, said the fast food chain has more food safety procedures than the federal government requires.
"Food safety is an integral a part of our business as hamburger flipping," Donahue said.
The beef industry is a major economic force in Nebraska, with more than $4 billion annually in cash receipts, said Greg Ruehle, Nebraska Cattlemen's executive vice president, accounting for one in seven Nebraska jobs.
Beef producers' commitment and involvement in food safety efforts are part of a larger shift in thinking, he said. Producers still must focus on production efficiency and management. Today, they're also concerned about what happens after an animal leaves the farm or feedlot, including issues such as quality, consistency, safety and consumer confidence.
Food industry representatives outlined the new Nebraska Farm-to-Table Food Safety Initiative, designed to assure Nebraska is a leader in both food production and safety. Representatives from food production, processing, distribution, marketing, retailing and preparation serve on the Nebraska Farm-to-Table Food Safety Task Force.
The unified effort will enhance food safety coordination and communication throughout the food chain. It was launched last summer as a partnership of the Nebraska Food Industry Association and the University of Nebraska's Food Processing Center.
Alan Janzen, a Henderson feedlot owner and Nebraska Cattlemen's president, said cattle producers are eager to be part of the E. coli 0157:H7 solution. They are hungry for information, especially on-farm research.
"We want to see that there is a good overall research agenda across this state and the nation," he said, urging more cooperation among land-grants, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others.
Responding to an audience question, NU Food Scientist Mindy Brashears said research and education both are important in fighting E. coli 0157:H7.
"We don't have an answer so we still need research. Hopefully, research eventually will provide answers," she said. "Meanwhile, education can give us some short-term solutions. We just need to be sure that anything we find in research is translated into education."
The conference was co-sponsored by the State of Nebraska, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UNL Food Processing Center, Nebraska Food Industry Association, Alliance for Food Protection, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Farm-to-Table Initiative, Nebraska Association of Meat Processors, Nebraska Restaurant Association and the Nebraska Retail Grocers Association.
- Molly Klocksin and Vicki Miller, IANR news writers, contributed to this story.
Chancellor James Moeser released the following statement Feb. 10 in the wake of campus discussions initiated by an electronic mail message. The message was sent by a faculty member, David Hibler, assistant professor of English, to many who perceived it to be offensive.
By James Moeser, Chancellor
I think it would be highly appropriate for me to begin my remarks today by quoting from a statement by the Afrikan People's Union, one of our student groups.
"The Afrikan People's Union feels that Mr. Hibler should not be punished for speaking his mind and saying what he wishes to say. That is his constitutional right. However, we must all remember that we are in a community of learning, and as such, we need to make allowances, even personal sacrifices, in order to preserve the validity and equity of the racial and political campus climate. This university, in countless published statements and documents, has affirmed its objective to make the campus a place where everyone feels welcome and is encouraged to participate in the intellectual discourse freely, without fear of belittlement or discomfort. However, as demonstrated by the actions of members of this campus, these objectives are not being met. This campus still remains a place of disharmony, insensitivity, and balkanization."
We are immensely proud of these students: the sophistication of their perception, the civility of their response. Clearly this situation has had a profound effect on them.
But they are not the only ones affected. Indeed, the university administration and an overwhelming majority in the entire university community have been outraged and repulsed by these incidents.
Let no one doubt that we are firmly and unalterably committed to strengthening diversity on this campus. We are in the process of putting into place a diversity plan and an affirmative action plan. In addition, I look forward to a report from the Diversity/Gender Equity Resource Group as they develop a framework for new opportunities for diversity education on campus.
We will continue to take a hard look at our policies regarding the use of e-mail and the World Wide Web.
The fundamentals of our democracy must not be forgotten. While we are allowed to speak freely, we must also listen with patience and tolerance. And as we are finding, at times we pay a painful price for freedom.
Those costs have been high this past week. Members of our community have been hurt and I share the pain and anguish that they feel. This University cares deeply for all people, and I am disturbed by what has happened. The time has come for everyone who shares these feelings to stand together in solidarity with those who have been hurt by these recent incidents.
Because child care is a continuing concern for some members of the campus community, Bruce Currin, assistant vice chancellor for human resources, said the university will consider creating an on-site child care facility.
"We have an excellent child care referral program (Child Development Venture/Family Care Solutions) that has placed nearly 400 children of faculty and staff with quality child care providers since the program was begun in 1990," Currin said. "We also have an outstanding on-site facility with the University Child Care Project at the YWCA downtown."
Currin said both services have been well received, and the possibility of a site close to City Campus is being investigated.
"We want an accurate assessment of how many faculty, staff and students are in need of child care assistance to determine what child care options the university should consider," Currin said.
To get that assessment, the university administration is working with the Bureau of Sociological Research in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"We believe that child care is an employer issue and it is extremely important," Currin said. "If you come to work and are worried all day about whether or not your child is being properly cared for, you can't do your best job. It's in everyone's best interest for employees to have confidence in their child care provider."
Currin said focus groups involving faculty, staff and students who have young children will be conducted in the coming weeks.
Anyone interested in participating in a focus group and who has a child under the age of 6 should contact the Bureau of Sociological Research at 472-3672.
-Tom Simons, Public Relations
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