Food Microbiology in Focus, An Expert Roundtable, Part 1
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’s annual meeting in Calgary, Canada.
In Part 1, 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, to be published in the December/January 2007 issue of Food Safety Magazine, the discussion continues on the topic of challenges associated with the adoption and application of advanced food microbiology methods and tools in the food industry, 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: What do you consider to be the top microorganisms of concern today to food supply chain companies, and why? What organisms are on the horizon that industry should better understand?
Julian Cox: I think Salmonella is going to continue to be one of the top bacterial pathogens, although I think that U.S. epidemiological data is suggesting this pathogen is certainly on the decline since the mid- to late 1980s and early 1990s. I believe viruses are going to be increasingly important. There are a number of reasons that these are of concern to the food industry, including the fact that methods of detection are not reliable and the infectious dose is typically so low. I think as global trade continues to increase, we may see increasing problems with parasites, as well, both in terms of the ones we recognize as foodborne and new ones. That’s probably a good place to start.