Only a few years ago, we would have been hard pressed to see more than a few weeks go by without reading about another large-scale E. coli O157:H7 (“E. coli”) outbreak or recall in the news.
Indeed, as many will remember, 2007 was described by many as the “Year of the Recall.” In 2007, there were a total of 22 recalls of beef products involving nearly 35 million pounds. The beef industry, the scientific community and governmental regulators were all struggling during this period to better understand and also control E. coli in the slaughter and fabrication environment.