WASHINGTON - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday it will begin testing next year for six more kinds of E.coli bacteria in raw ground beef and tenderized steaks in order to protect the safety of the American food supply.

The US currently tests for one strain of E.coli O157:H7 in beef. According to the USDA, from March 5 next year, if the E. coli serogroups O26, O103, O45, O111, O121 and O145 are found in raw ground beef or its precursors, those products will be prohibited from entering commerce.

Like E.coli O157:H7, these serogroups can cause severe illness and even death, and young children and the elderly are at highest risk.

"The Obama Administration is committed to protecting our food supply and preventing illnesses before they happen," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. "Today's announcement does exactly that by targeting and eliminating contaminated products from the market."

"Too often, we are caught reacting to a problem instead of preventing it. This new policy will help stop problems before they start," he said.

About one in six Americans becomes sick from a food borne illnesses each year, an epidemic that kills about 3,000 annually and hospitalizes 128,000, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.