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.
In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Savannah Applegate, Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety, about the role of diagnostics and testing in poultry food safety and disease management.
A Center for Produce Safety-funded proof-of-concept study is exploring a novel, high-throughput capture and concentration method for hepatitis A virus in fruit wash water, which uses magnets and hydrogel nanoparticles. It could be added to existing FDA and ISO digital PCR assay workflows, potentially reducing false positives.
FDA is rumored to face significant budget cuts proposed by the White House that would shift 100 percent of the responsibility for routine food facility inspections to states. Additionally, due to layoffs, FDA has suspended its proficiency testing program for food testing laboratories and its efforts to bolster avian influenza testing in food products.
This episode of Food Safety Five discusses two scientific advancements related to Listeria monocytogenes control: 1) a study that showed the effectiveness of combining antimicrobial blue light with chemical sanitizers for pathogen inactivation, and 2) the development of a new growth prediction model for L. monocytogenes in artisanal cheeses.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Edward Dudley, Director of the E. coli Reference Center and Professor of Food Science at Penn State University, about the potential for wastewater monitoring to aid foodborne pathogen surveillance and bolster foodborne illness reporting.
The European Commission published a FAQ document to clarify the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2025/179, which mandates whole genome sequencing (WGS) testing and data reporting for important foodborne pathogens when suspected to be associated with a foodborne illness outbreak.
Adding to its existing certification for corn, ImagoAI’s Galaxy Mycotoxins Test has received the AOAC Performance Tested Methods (PTM) certification for aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, and zearalenone in Wheat, Dried Distillers Grains With Solubles (DDGS), and Corn Gluten Meal (CGM).
Researchers from CDC, FDA, and USDA trained an artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning model to conduct food source attribution for human cases of salmonellosis by analyzing whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for Salmonella isolates. The model showed promise, estimating that the majority of salmonellosis cases are caused by chicken and vegetables
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