Using a newly developed quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model, researchers have identified interventions along the U.S. romaine lettuce supply chain that would most effectively reduce E. coli contamination. The QMRA is publicly available for use.
Federal support for state-level foodborne illness surveillance programs, directed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), significantly improves participating states’ detection and reporting of foodborne illness outbreaks, a new study demonstrates.
Developed by University of Texas at Dallas scientists, EnliSense’s READ FWDx is a novel, compact rapid sensor that can simultaneously detect microbiological and chemical food contaminants. EnliSense and the researchers behind READ FWDx envision their technology being used by both food manufacturers and consumers at home.
Using an artificial intelligence (AI) model to standardize and analyze a massive, global set of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for Cronobacter sakazakii, University of Maryland researchers have discovered genetic traits that may explain the pathogen’s persistence and virulence in low-moisture foods like powdered infant formula.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) laboratories now use an improved enrichment method for Campylobacter in poultry meat samples, which reduced enrichment incubation time by half, and shaved a day off of reporting times for results.
A Salmonella outbreak linked to cage-free and organic eggs supplied by California-based August Egg Company has come to a close with 134 infections, 38 hospitalizations, and one death across ten states. All recalled eggs are now expired and should no longer be available in stores, per FDA.
Through its annual mentorship program, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with support from CDC, has awarded $356,000 to local health departments across the country to expand their wastewater monitoring efforts. Wastewater monitoring can be a useful tool for foodborne illness outbreak surveillance.
Per Trace One’s analysis of FDA National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) data, the U.S. states with the highest levels of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination in retail meat are Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
A study suggests that some food matrices (i.e., smoked fish and soft cheese) significantly increase the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to adapt, survive digestion, and cause infection. Based on the findings, modulating the fat and protein content in food could be one potential way to reduce L. monocytogenes risk.
Reflecting on 20 years of research, scientists from the University of Pretoria and the Water Research Commission in South Africa are calling for better national water quality standards, as well as regular surveillance and testing of water sources and produce, to address contaminated irrigation water and improve produce safety.
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