Microbiology Group Offers Suggestions On Improving Safety Within The Food Delivery Chain

A new report from the American Society for Microbiology describes the complex global system that moves food from the farm or factory to the dinner table and warns that threats to food safety can emerge at any stage. Food can contain ingredients from anywhere on the planet, may be processed at several facilities along the line, and  be handled by wholesalers, retailers, and several transporters. Moreover, illnesses resulting from food safety mistakes in the delivery chain often go undetected and unreported. The report provides examples of how further research and new technologies would benefit each step in the process, and describes how tighter regulations would foster good agricultural and manufacturing practices that, in turn, would reduce occurrences of contamination and improve traceability. Also recommended: increased consumer education efforts.