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Week of April 19, 2010
This Week in Missouri:
- Missouri Dietetics Association Convention and Trade Show
- 417 Cooking School
- Missouri Society of Association Execs
- Missouri Ag Lunch and Learn planning meeting
Websites
Market Update
- Choice/Select Spread: $2.61/cwt.
- 57,503 feeder cattle sold in the state of Missouri last week
compared to 31,485 a year ago. Avg. prices/weights:
- 552 lb. steers averaged $128.92
- 547 lb. heifers averaged $115.73
- 571 lb. Holstein steers averaged $87.42
- Springer Holstein Heifers $1,175- 1,280
CDC reports significant decrease in E. coli-related illnesses
A CDC report released Thursday, Preliminary FoodNet Data on the
Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food
, reported the rate
of disease caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7
significantly decreased in 2009. The new data mean incidence is the
lowest since 2004 and meets the national 2010 Health People target.
David Goldman, M.D., M.P.H., USDA's Office of Public Health Science's
assistant administrator, was quoted in the CDC press release: "Today's report
confirms our past success combating foodborne illness by setting an
aggressive goal, designing an effective system to meet that goal, and
relentlessly implementing it; it's time to do it again."
The Healthy People 2010 objective for E. coli O157:H7-related infections
that was
met in 2009 was to reduce infections caused by this foodborne pathogen
to one case per 100,000 population, or a 50 percent improvement over the
1997 baseline.
The checkoff is extending this positive news, starting with updates to
existing safety fact sheets and other communication tools. We also are
pitching an op-ed to be authored by a third-party food safety expert. A
news release
quoting Beef Industry
Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) Chairman Bo Reagan was distributed to the
agriculture trades today.
Consider what opinion leader audiences in your state would benefit from
seeing this news and learning about the beef industry's ongoing
commitment to safety. We encourage you to use the talking points below
to leverage CDC's findings with these folks, perhaps by offering to
author a column for a newsletter or Web site. Please let us know if you
have any questions.
E. coli Illness Data Talking Points
Anyone involved in the ongoing battle to improve food safety is
gratified by the news that illnesses from E. coli O157 have declined.
- Beef industry efforts to reduce the incidence of E. coli O157
started in 1993, and our collective goal continues to be producing the
safest beef possible for our consumers.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the rate of illness due to E. coli O157 significantly decreased
in 2009.
This is great news; however, E. coli O157 is a tough, adaptable foe and
our work is not done. We must remain aggressive in our efforts to keep
this and other foodborne pathogens out of our food.
-
Beef farmers and ranchers alone have invested more than $28
million since 1993 in beef safety research; and together, the beef
industry spends more than $350 million annually on safety efforts.
Research to help us better understand foodborne pathogens and identify
new ways of controlling them must continue to be a priority within
industry and government.
- Implementing multiple interventions throughout the beef
production chain helps us reduce E. coli incidence. It's important
government and industry continue collaborating to make new safety tools
available for all segments in the production chain.
We've found the best safety solutions result from cooperation among the
industry - when food chain partners share the data, knowledge and
experiences that contribute to improved safety systems.
- We founded the Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) in
1997 to bring all segments of the industry around the common goal of
improving beef safety.
- BIFSCo has led efforts to identify and implement farm-to-fork
safety programs, including developing the best practices that serve as a
road map for reducing E. coli throughout the beef production chain.
- More than 200 experts from every sector of the beef industry
attended the eighth annual Safety Summit, hosted by BIFSCo in March this
year.
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