Research projects underway in Ontario and Alberta aim to deal a devastating blow to E. coli O157:H7, a disease that produces powerful toxins capable of causing severe illness in humans.

"Comparatively speaking, there have not been too many beef recalls in Canada but, obviously, (food) safety is something that we can't take for granted," says Rob McNabb, general manager of operations for the Calgary-based Canadian Cattleman's Association (CCA), which represents nearly 90,000 cattle ranchers across the country.

"Any measures that can help reduce the risk we're interested in exploring."

In Ontario, work is progressing on what is being described as the world's first vaccine to be used as an on-farm intervention to reduce the amount of E. coli O157:H7 shed by cattle.

File photo by Larry MacDougal, Business Edge

Work is progressing on an E. coli vaccine that would also reduce the amount of bacteria released from cattle manure into the environment.

If successful, the company behind the vaccine - Belleville, Ont.-based Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. - says Canadian cattle producers could market a premium product that could generate an additional $400-$500 million in export sales once all Canadian cows are vaccinated.

In Alberta, new research is setting its sights on re-introducing "good" bacteria into beef during the meat-processing process to help further control against E. coli O157:H7.

At the University of Alberta in Edmonton, researchers are looking at work that may end up spurring beef sales, as hamburger lovers would be able to cook their burgers to something less than the current well-done levels - as required now to ensure that they're E. coli free.

Even though the Canadian beef industry has dedicated itself to providing the safest beef in the world and current production methods have vastly reduced the chance of any contamination from E. coli O157:H7 - which does not cause disease in cattle - the possibility of contamination remains particularly in ground beef if it's not properly cooked.

Both the CCA and the Willowdale, Ont.-based Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG), furthering the interests of its 3,800 independent and franchised grocers members, welcome the new research.

"We welcome any advances that enhance the safety of any product, whether it's ground beef or tomatoes," says CFIG vice-president Gary Sands, referring to past E.coli beef recalls and a recent salmonella scare with U.S. tomatoes.

The Bioniche vaccine was developed by a strategic alliance formed in 2000 between the University of British Columbia, the Alberta Research Council, the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), and Bioniche, which holds the rights for worldwide commercialization of the vaccine.

The vaccine prevents the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria from attaching to the intestines of vaccinated cattle, thereby reducing their reproduction within the animal, and reducing the amount of bacteria that can be released through cattle manure in the environment.

More than 30,000 cattle have been involved in clinical testing of the vaccine over the past five years.

However, the CCA says based on the research trials conducted so far, it's not ready to come out and endorse the Bioniche vaccine.

"We're encouraged by the work to date, but we don't feel it's ready for full implementation by the industry," says McNabb. "If there's additional research results they're compiling, we'll take a look at that."

The CCA is also concerned about the three inoculations needed per cow. It says from its understanding, the third dose would come somewhere between 40 days to 60 days before the animal is sent to the packing plant. This is a critical time in cattle production, where producers do not want to risk bruising or injuring the animal by confining in order to inject the vaccine. Instead, the CCA would prefer a one-dose version.

"It's a political issue," says Bioniche president and CEO Graeme McRae.

"It comes down to who pays for the vaccine. The farmers are saying, 'Don't look at us.' The beef industry is saying we don't believe vaccination is going to have any impact and we don't want to pay for it. Our beef industry in Canada is trying to do the things the old way and is not moving forward."

McRae says the vaccine will cost the farmer around $3 per dose and likely add between 1.5 cents per pound to two cents per pound of beef at the retail level. "It's really insignificant," he adds.

Bioniche estimates the global market for its vaccine is at the billion-dollar level and says if it can get a 50-per-cent reduction in the E. coli bacteria in the animal, it would result in a 99-per-cent reduction in the food chain.

"Our studies show a 65-per-cent reduction (in E. coli) in the animal and that's the lowest (result) we've had," adds McRae.

Plans are to have the E. coli O157:H7 cattle vaccine manufactured in the Bioniche production facility in Belleville, where a two-year, $25-million expansion is taking place, with a significant amount of vaccine expected to be ready for sale by mid- to late- 2010.

Meanwhile, Lynn McMullen, a professor in food microbiology at the U of A's department of agricultural, food and nutritional science, is working with colleague Michael Gänzle on a different method to control E. coli in beef.

"We have a history of expertise at the U of A (both Dr. Gänzle and myself) on lactic acid bacteria - these are the same group of organisms that you find in yogurt and cheese," she says.

"I have worked on lactic acid bacteria in meat for over 20 years. We decided to see if we could control E. coli with these 'friendly' organisms and it seems to be working."

The process involves returning or spraying "good" bacteria - originally stripped out along with the bad - back into the meat during processing at meat plants.

McMullen estimates it could take three to five years before their work makes its way to the finished product that would end up on retail shelves and could potentially add an extra 10 cents to the cost of a pound of ground beef. She also notes that there's a possibility that this method might help to reduce spoilage.

"It will add cost to the meat going out of the plant, but it should be minimal and when you balance that cost against the cost of recalls and illnesses in society it would be minimal," says McMullen, who already has an industry partner that is interested, as well as Health Canada.

"This research (Bioniche and the U of A) has a lot of potential positive ramifications throughout the industry," adds CFIG vice-president Gary Sands. "Our members would welcome it - everybody in the industry would."

Sands also says if either one or both make it into the Canadian marketplace, it could cut costs for supermarkets, pointing to lost meat sales and staff that need to be diverted from other duties to ensure that the recalled product has been taken off the shelves as well as being able to answer customer concerns.

"People tend to realize that we're the retailer, we're just the one who sells the product, that we're not raising cattle in the backrooms and processing them in the store," says Sands, adding that they remain on the front lines between the consumer and the meat-packing plants when a recall occurs.

(Laura Severs can be reached at [email protected])