Costco Requires More Stringent E Coli Testing
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: July 16, 2011

While the federal government continues to drag it's feet about food safety, Costco has already made a change that requires it's suppliers of bagged produce,such as greens, apple slices and carrots, to test for the so called *Big 6* strains of E. coli.
Currently, the produce and beef industries had only to test for a single strain of E.coli known as O157:H7, but health experts have identified six rarer forms that have been found to be the cause of more illnesses related to food. The strain of E.coli that caused the illness in Europe this spring is not one of the Big 6, and the new testing will not include this variety.
The company also has plans to test all the ground beef that is sold in its warehouse stores. They will be testing the hamburger and beef trimmings that go into it, and will be requiring their suppliers to do their own testing later this summer.