Items Tagged with 'pathogens'

During the screening of lactic acid bacteria on limes grown near poultry farms, scientists in Brazil discovered the presence of two emerging pathogens with traits that raise concerns for food safety, human clinical outcomes, and One Health.

According to the 2025 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Food and Health Survey, consumer confidence in U.S. food safety has hit an all-time low in the 13 years since the survey began gauging the metric. Foodborne bacteria are the number one ranked concern in 2025, and attention to food additives and ingredients is rising. 

This article explores the "why," "how," and challenges encountered when conducting challenge studies for safer food products and longer shelf life.

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are researching a sunlight-based method for controlling microbial contaminants—specifically, Salmonella and Escherichia coli—in irrigation water used for food crops. After enough research is conducted, the UGA team hopes to create an app that will help growers enhance food safety.

To help growers mitigate food safety risks posed by wild birds, an ongoing study funded by the Center for Produce Safety is examining the prevalence of different species in agriculture and whether they carry and transmit foodborne pathogens.

The food industry recognizes that consumers provide a very high level of fitness-for-purpose testing when they use products. Some shrinkage is, of course, involved in this process, but this consumer sampling will always reach beyond what is possible for a manufacturer. Instead, manufacturers make a more careful study of samples that are expected to be representative of what is delivered to the consumer. The selection of these samples, including the common misconceptions around the sampling of leafy greens, is the focus of this article. 

A recently published review examines the history of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by Listeria monocytogenes in the UK, challenges that food manufacturers face when dealing with the pathogen, and potential future research and strategies related to the pathogen. 

When determining the shelf life of meat products, it is important to consider how the growth of both spoilage organisms and pathogenic bacteria can be prevented, while at the same time keeping a keen eye on the sensory quality of the product.
 

The University of Münster, Research Center Borstel, and the Robert Koch Institute have formed a consortium to detect outbreaks and bacterial pathogens.