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The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing more domestic and imported meat used to make ground beef for E. coli contamination, following an increase in recalls for the potentially deadly bacteria, according to The Washington Post.

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Editor's Insight: This article notes that there have been 15 beef recalls for possible E. coli contamination this year, compared with eight last year, and the federal government wants to execute faster recalls. Vending operators need to be aware of this.

The vending industry has a good food safety record, and none of the widely publicized recalls in the past year have included vended products. However, vending operators cannot assume that future recalls won’t affect them. Vending operators must continue to follow strict food safety guidelines.

In the meantime, all segments of the food industry must support strong federal regulations. Federal regulations will be more cost effective and practical for food manufacturers to meet than a patchwork of state and local regulations. 10-25-07