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American consumers enjoy one of the world’s safest food supplies.  Improvements in food safety, such as pasteurization of milk, safe canning, and disinfection of water supplies using chlorine have conquered many foodborne diseases, including typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and cholera.

However, we live in a microbial world where many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens, can still contaminate foods and beverages—and cause foodborne illnesses.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States.  The great majority of these cases are mild and have short-lived symptoms.  However, some cases are more severe, resulting in an estimated 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.  In the United States, diseases caused by major pathogens create enormous social and economic burdens on communities and their health systems, costing billions annually in medical costs and lost productivity.

Raw foods of animal origin are most likely to be contaminated, but fruits and vegetables consumed raw are increasingly implicated in outbreaks. The most commonly recognized foodborne infections are caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli (E.coli) 0157:H7, and by a group of viruses in the Caliciviridae family (e.g. the Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses).  While symptoms depend greatly on the type of microbe, foodborne contamination commonly causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea.

Fortunately, detection of microbial contamination is now possible during food production and processing, before products reach supermarket shelves.  Using the power of science and innovation, the business of chemistry has developed cutting-edge DNA-based diagnosis to detect the presence of bacteria in or on food. 

For example, DuPont’s Qualicon business in 1995 introduced the BAX® detection system, the first method to apply Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)—a Nobel Prize winning technology—to detect bacteria in raw ingredients, finished products, and environmental samples.  The award-winning BAX® System breaks down food samples at the genetic level and amplifies a DNA fragment that is specific to the targeted microbe. 

Today, this genetics-based system has become a standard analysis tool in quality control labs around the world.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has adopted the system, as have governments in Canada, Brazil, and France, among others.  In 2008, the BAX® System was named in the People’s Republic of China government standard for using PCR to test food imports and exports, and in 2007, the system was selected to provide food safety monitoring during the 2008 Olympic competitions in Beijing.

According to Kevin Huttman, president of DuPont Qualicon, “Protecting the food supply is a major global concern, and we understand that China is also facing the increasing demands and emerging challenges on food safety.  We’re pleased that the BAX® System is helping government agencies in China and around the world with cost-effective and highly accurate food safety testing.”

While science-based innovations are helping to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in food and ensure a safer food supply throughout the world, consumers must also take precautions to reduce the risk of foodborne diseases during food preparation by:

• Washing hands with soap and water before preparing food;
• Cooking meat, poultry, and eggs thoroughly;
• Avoiding cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards after contact with raw meat or poultry;
• Refrigerating leftovers promptly;
• Washing fruits and vegetables in running tap water;
• Discarding outer layers of lettuce and cabbage;
• Keeping cold foods below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and hot foods above 140 degrees Fahrenheit; and
• Reporting suspected foodborne illness to the local health department.

Food safety is essential to human health and quality of life. American chemistry has an ongoing commitment to developing the innovations and products that answer society’s need for healthier and safer food.

SOURCES:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs237/en/
http://www2.dupont.com/Qualicon/en_US/about_dq/dq_milestones.html
http://www2.dupont.com/Qualicon/en_US/products/BAX_System/index.html
http://www2.dupont.com/Qualicon/en_US/news_events/article20080701.html

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