Protecting a fast-food restaurant from an E. coli outbreak is not only essential, but quite doable, assuming the proper steps are taken, and everyone along the farm-to-plate path is educated, committed and vigilant.
The problem is, even then things can go wrong.
Overall, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that 76-million cases of food poisoning a year are caused by food-borne pathogens such as E. coli, bacillus cereus, campylobacter jejuni, and streptococcus, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
The fact that E. coli could find its way into two such well-run organizations such as Taco Bell and McAlister's Deli, among others, should alert fast-food operators everywhere that the need for vigilance is constant.
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That said, asking how to prevent E. coli from entering a fast-food restaurant is like asking someone to tell you everything they know. There are literally that many things to consider.
'Start by Thinking'
From choosing and inspecting suppliers and distributors to such mundane tasks as receiving, holding, storing and cooking, there is no shortage of holes to plug in the food safety dyke that blocks E. coli. Once the human factor is added — employee training, personal hygiene, handwashing, and the benefits of private food-safety audits — the task really appears daunting.
The good news: A lot of it is common sense and simply going by the book.
"You start by thinking of how E. coli can get into a restaurant, and then trying to keep it out if you can," said Tony Petrucci, director of Food Safety for Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., the foodservice contractor whose 240,000 employees operate fast-food, full-service and catering operations in 18 countries.
"Probably the most common way for E. coli to get in is through the delivery door, on fresh produce and meats contaminated at the supplier level or on the farms, Petrucci said. "Another way would be through the employee entrance, and the intestinal tracts of the food handlers who may have picked it up elsewhere."
Marshall Sherman, a veteran food-safety expert and director of Safety and Security for Good Will Industries of Delaware, said a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points program is the best way to prevent an E. coli outbreak.
"It's basic food safety," he said. "E. coli is a bacterium that is indigenous to ground beef, for instance. If you cook it to the proper temperature of 155° you kill off all the bacteria."
Attacking the problem at the source is every bit as vital.
"We have been working with our produce suppliers to help them improve the safety of the food supply from the farm to the table," said Rob Poetsch, a spokesperson for Taco Bell Corp. "We have raised the bar in a number of areas, such as increasing the requirements for good agricultural practices involving testing water and soil, (and) the use of compost and fencing of fields. We have also helped our suppliers implement testing of lettuce for E. coli 0157:H7 in the field before harvest."
Other things to review are the proximity of growing fields to adjacent cattle pastures and irrigation water, and checking meat suppliers' facilities, including slaughterhouses.
Most large companies visit their suppliers periodically to take a look at the growing and packing conditions, as well as hand washing and restroom facilities for the harvesters and packers," Petrucci said. "If you're talking about roots and vegetables, the best way to prevent the problem is to cook them. That's really the only guarantee."
Look to Science
New tools for operators are on the way.
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"The food delivered from the supplier has a tick of approval, and the supplier has food from a grower that has been tested," said Barry Samson, B2P's general manager. "All the tests are converted to data, and an audit trail is apparent. The tests run in our analyzer can send early-warning text messages to users. In effect, this 'removes the ambulance from the bottom of the cliff and fences it off with assurance.'"
Another company called NanoSensors, Inc., a nanotechnology development firm based in Santa Clara, Calif., is working on the development of sensors and instruments to detect biological, chemical and explosive agents — principally a sensor device to detect E. coli and salmonella in food and water.
But overall, keeping E. coli out comes down to a few parting words.
"Stick close to HACCP," Sherman said. "There's a reason it has become the gold standard within the food industry."
