The summer season is upon us, and thankfully there have been few E. coli O157:H7 
outbreaks this year. In these quiet times, prudent establishments will review their food-safety programs in light of current information to ensure the programs are both effective and meet Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) expectations.
A large percentage of establishments that process raw beef do not slaughter the animals but rely on their suppliers to prevent/eliminate contamination of the meat. Although slaughter establishments have made remarkable progress in E. coli O157:H7 control, purchasers of raw beef for use in ground or non-intact products should remember the old slogan: “Trust but verify.” FSIS expects no less.

At a minimum, a purchaser of beef to be used in raw ground beef or non-intact products needs to obtain a letter of guarantee from its supplier that the supplier’s HACCP plan includes a validated intervention to control E. coli O157:H7. This letter of guarantee should be subject to ongoing verification. Many slaughter establishments provide letters of guarantee, results of third-party audits, and their own verification sampling results on the Web. This information is updated frequently. The establishment should access the supplier material on the Web, thus providing ongoing verification.