USDA: 2022 E. Coli Outbreak Shows Importance of Ground Beef Food Safety Best Practices
In an after-action review of a 2022 Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to ground beef, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) highlights the importance of improving outreach to food retail stores about best food safety practices for beef that will be ground.
The investigation of the E. coli outbreak in question occurred from May–June 2022 across three states—California, Idaho, and New York. Eight illnesses were included in the outbreak, one of which resulted in hospitalization. Although beef was investigated as the possible vehicle of for infection, officials were unable to identify a common beef source.