Food Microbiology in Focus: An Expert Roundtable, Part 2
In August, Food Safety Magazine Editorial Director Julie Larson Bricher had the opportunity to speak with several recognized experts from industry, research and government to discuss hot topics in food microbiology. This roundtable-in-print article is based on part of that discussion, which was co-moderated with Rich St. Clair, Industrial Market Manager with Remel, Inc. and took place at the International Association for Food Protection annual meeting in Calgary, Canada.
In Part 1, published in the October/November 2006 issue of Food Safety Magazine, the panelists discuss the top microorganisms of concern to the food industry, public health risk assessment issues, and provide some insights into significant advances in test methods and tools available to the food supply chain today.
In Part 2, the discussion continues on risk assessment with an emphasis on challenges associated with the adoption and application of food microbiology methods, and how the food industry can strategize to meet these challenges and realize the benefits of traditional, new and hybrid techniques.
The Panelist: J. Stan Bailey, Ph.D., is a research microbiologist with the Russell Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Athens, GA, where is responsible for research directed toward controlling and reducing contamination of poultry meat products by foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria. Bailey has authored or coauthored more than 400 scientific publications in the area of food microbiology, concentrating on controlling Salmonella in poultry production and processing, Salmonella methodology, Listeria methodology, and rapid methods of identification. He is currently vice president of the executive board of the International Association for Food Protection.
Mark Carter is General Manager of Research with the Silliker Inc. Food Science Center in South Holland, IL. He is a registered clinical and public health microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiologists and chair-elect of the American Society for Microbiology’s Food Microbiology Division. Prior to joining Silliker in 2005, he served as a Section Manager for Microbiology and Food Safety for Kraft Foods North America where he was responsible for the Dairy, Meals, Meat, Food Service and Enhancer product sectors.
Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, is a world-recognized scholar, researcher and expert on critical food safety issues affecting the dairy/animal industry.Wiedmann addresses farm to fork food safety issues with a diverse educational background in animal science, food science, and veterinary medicine. His work with Listeria monocytogenes is internationally recognized and has significantly contributed to improving our understanding of the transmission of this organism along the food chain.
Margaret Hardin, Ph.D., is Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety with Boar’s Head Provisions Co., the nationally known ready-to-eat meat and cheese processor serving the delicatessen and retail markets. Previously, Hardin held positions as Director of Food Safety at Smithfield Packing Co., Sara Lee Foods and the National Pork Producers Council, and as a research scientist and HACCP instructor with the National Food Processors Association in Washington, DC. Her efforts have been directed in areas of food safety, research, HACCP, and sanitation to protect the public health and assure the microbiological quality and safety of food.
Joseph Odumeru, Ph.D., is the Laboratory Director, Regulatory Services, Laboratory Services Division, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph. He is responsible for food quality and safety testing services provided by the division. His research interests include development of rapid methods for the detection, enumeration and identification of microorganisms in food, water and environmental samples, molecular methods for tracking microbial contaminants in foods, automated methods for microbial identification, shelf life studies of foods and predictive microbiology. His research publications include 65 publications and review papers in peer review journals, 70 abstracts and presentations in scientific meetings.
Julian Cox, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, Food Microbiology in Food Science and Technology at the School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He has taught for over a decade in the areas of foodborne pathogens, spoilage, quality assurance, rapid microbiological methods and communication skills. His research activities revolve around a range of foodborne pathogens, particularly Salmonella and Bacillus. He provides advice on food safety through organizations such as Biosecurity Australia and input into the development of Australian standards for microbiological testing of foods. He also sits on the editorial boards of Letters in Applied Microbiology, the Journal of Applied Microbiology and the International Journal of Food Microbiology.
Food Safety Magazine: Earlier, our conversation moved into the realm of risk assessment as it pertains to public health. What are your thoughts on how risk assessment informs or affects method development?
Julian Cox: As I listen to what people are talking about here, I hear the concern as to how far should we take things? This is a really interesting point in terms of the number of susceptible individuals among the population and the organisms that put their health at risk. Today, we spend more and more time focusing on Listeria. But you know, risk has an impact. We should ask who does it hit, and at what percentage? Are we spending far too much effort in terms of human resources, money, etc., with regard to method development to chase organisms that really do not have widespread impact in terms of the general population?
You know it is sort of the notoriety thing, the bug that gets the most press (i.e., public awareness) gets the most dollars thrown at it in research monies, or regulatory or industry implementation costs. When the headline press reports “Pregnant Woman Aborts Because of Listeria,” we all agree that is terrible. We need to look at the economic effect of foodborne disease, then really what are the organisms that are going to continue to be important, or organisms that become more important within that analysis. E. sakazakii is another example of what I am talking about because it affects a minute percentage of the population.
Martin Wiedmann: Yes, that’s why it’s an opportunistic group.
Julian Cox: Opportunistic, and also who is impacted by that group?
Martin Wiedmann: If you look at impact, that’s a huge impact.
Julian Cox: Yes, exactly. But on a global basis, is it really that huge?
Martin Wiedmann: But the impact is very important, because when when you are the one affected it matters. In other words, I would argue that it is not a global issue, but a local one. When it affects my normal life—my child, my family—it is a local issue. Although there are a very small number of cases associated with the contamination of powdered infant formula by E. sakazakii in the last several decades, this bacterium poses serious harmful effects to infants. That’s a real concern to parents with children under six months of age.
Yes, a pathogen’s global impact on populations is important, but again it depends on the food and where it comes from.