Washington ( CNN ) -- Hoping to eliminate a problem before it spreads rather than fighting an outbreak once it 's discovered , the USDA announced Wednesday a new tracing method it hopes will protect consumers from eating contaminated meat and poultry . The new strategy changes how meat and poultry processors and the U.S. Department of Agriculture trace E. coli contaminated food in the U.S. food chain . According to the USDA , if food safety inspectors find E. coli during routine sampling , they will now move quickly to identify the supplier and target removing the tainted product from store shelves . CNN.com Health library : What is E. coli ? Additionally , new regulations require meat and poultry processors , farmers and retail establishments to have recall plans in place , notify federal officials within 24 hours if a contaminated product is found and requires better documentation of how they controlled the hazardous meat . According to data on the Centers for Disease Control 's website , multistate outbreaks of foodborne illnesses are reported about four to six times a year on average in the United States . Currently , officials are fighting an outbreak of salmonella from contaminated tuna that has been reported in 24 states and Washington . According to the CDC , 258 people have been infected nationwide . Yellowfin tuna tied to salmonella outbreak . The FDA says better tracing will help government officials collaboratively find contamination sources before outbreaks start . According to the CDC , around 48 million people , or one in six Americans get sick , 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases .
USDA announces a new tracing method for contaminated meat , poultry . The goal is to eliminate an outbreak rather than try to contain it . Meat and poultry processors , farmers , retailers have new recall regulations .