Secretary Raymond talked about the 19 beef recalls in 2007. They occurred as a result of concerns of E. coli contamination, including a recent recall by food company Cargill that had recalled one million pounds of ground beef. Sec. Raymond testified on the causes of the contamination and the actions taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reevaluate the federal regulation and safety procedures in the meat and poultry industries. 

He recommended that the USDA strengthen its data collecting abilities to reduce the spread of E. coli.