The Herculean Effort of Mike Espy

In 1906, the London Daily Times’ literature review of Upton Sinclair’s pivotal novel “The Jungle” included an introduction that declared how “the things described by Mr. Sinclair happened yesterday, are happening today, and will happen tomorrow and the next day, until some Hercules comes to cleanse the filthy stable.” 

Rather than any singular Hercules, perhaps we should recognize the Herculean efforts in food safety by various people, organizations, companies and agencies. This column will focus on the Herculean efforts of former United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Espy while he was in office during and after the landmark 1993 E. coli outbreak.

Espy served as the 25th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for two years (1993 and 1994) under President Bill Clinton. He had previously served three terms as the U.S. representative for Mississippi's 2nd district.

On his third day in office as the Secretary of Agriculture, Espy learned of the E. coli outbreak unfolding in the Seattle area. The growing number of illnesses and even deaths of young children prompted newly inaugurated President Bill Clinton to tell the nation (during a live televised town hall meeting) that his administration, including his new USDA Secretary, would “look into this E. coli situation and put forth changes in policies and regulations as needed.” Soon, Espy, along with other key leaders of his staff, traveled to Seattle to visit with patients and parents, talk with investigators and industry and face the press. 

Espy then made several unannounced visits to slaughterhouses to see firsthand the operations — and the “far-too-fast” inspection line speeds. At the time, USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service inspections involved approving or rejecting meat by using the same “poke and sniff” procedures since the passage of the 1906 Federal Meat Inspection Act — relying on sight, taste, smell and touch to detect signs of disease or contamination on each carcass as it sped through the slaughterhouses. Espy mandated slower inspection line speeds at slaughterhouses, an effort nearly thwarted by a lawsuit from the Texas Cattlemen’s Association.

Under Espy’s leadership, the USDA initiated research into new inspection policies and proposed a pathogen reduction program in federally inspected meat processing facilities. These specific policy changes would require a radical change in how the USDA viewed pathogens. 

Additionally, as Espy described to me in a 2023 conversation, the USDA of the early 1990s had “lethargic traceback authority.” As time was required to bring about needed changes, Espy proclaimed in 1994 that, in the absence of a way to detect or prevent the presence of E. coli bacteria, the USDA must do “everything [it] can do to help inform consumers about proper preparation and storage of not-ready-to-eat meat and poultry.” To this end, the USDA added to the program a consumer awareness portion.

In early May 1994, the USDA distributed more than five million postcards to parents from Espy featuring a “Recipe for a Safe and Delicious Hamburger.” The postcards warned that “hamburgers and other meat products could contain bacteria that is harmful if not cooked or handled properly.” Espy’s message included tips on proper cooking, handwashing and refrigeration of meats — some of the same messages that would appear on safety labels scheduled for mandatory placement on all raw meat and poultry products later that month.

Mandating safe-handling instructions on all packages of not-ready-to-eat meat and poultry at retail was another controversial action under Espy’s leadership. His goal was to ensure that the public understood not only how to handle raw meat and poultry products safely, but also how to properly cook it. This action did not come without opposition. Despite criticism from the American Meat Institute and even an injunction granted to the National American Wholesale Grocers Association by a Texas federal judge, Espy’s efforts resulted in the mandate gaining passage. Since 1994, the warning label has been the most visible device the USDA has employed to educate consumers about food safety.

The USDA also reached out to consumers through public service advertisements featuring a message from Espy for broadcast over 5,500 radio stations to “help educate Americans about the importance of preparing meat and poultry safely.” While consumer advocacy groups applauded the USDA’s unprecedented and rather pro-consumer stand, various groups in the meat industry did not approve of the approach, some even calling the radio ad a “scare-tactic approach” that placed a “skull-and-crossbones on American food.” 

On Sept. 28, 1994, Espy’s leadership team took another bold action as the USDA declared E. coli O157:H7 an illegal adulterant in meat and poultry under the USDA’s regulatory authority, thus initiating a zero-tolerance policy for the pathogen, implying potential legal ramifications for meat manufacturers.

During our 2023 conversation, Espy recalled how the 1990s proved to be a “tough” political and legal landscape for food safety, one where he had to “step on many toes” to bring about changes. Still, his leadership resulted in many improvements in food safety. Within a year of the 1993 outbreak, the USDA hired more inspectors and began developing a more sophisticated inspection system. Before Espy left office, the USDA nearly tripled the number of states that reported E. coli O157 infections from 12 states in 1993 to 33 states by the end of 1994. 

Thirty years later, Espy is still proud of the actions he took in the wake of the 1993 outbreak: “We did all we could politically do.”