Validation of a New Method of Sampling Beef Manufacturing Trimmings for Pathogen Testing Using a Manual Sampling Mitt Approach

•MT-Mitt sampler provides organism recovery not significantly different than the MT-Swab.•MT-Mitt sampler provides organism recovery not significantly different than the N60-excision and N60-plus sample collection methods. The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service has declared Escherichia coli O157:H7, and six additional Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are adulterants for nonintact raw beef products. The U. S. beef processing industry has implemented several antimicrobial intervention technologies throughout the carcass dressing process to remove or destroy foodborne pathogens present on beef carcasses. Despite these efforts, STEC have been shown to cause finished product contamination, albeit at prevalences typically