United States legislation took a step into the future in 2011 by passing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FSMA shifts the focus from a after-the-fact reactionary approach to a preventive approach. One might not expect it but the toll exacted by foodborne diseases is large. 1 in 6 people in the United States (that’s 48 million people) suffer from foodborne diseases each year. Thousands die and these deaths are needless. The shift to prevention is timely. What the FSMA does is to make food companies responsible for monitoring and preventing contamination.
Food companies will now need a cost effective platform for food pathogen testing. The ideal platform would be able to (1) test for multiple pathogens using a single test (2) rapidly validate and thus add new pathogens to the test panel as needed (3) be used in the field and read without centralized lab testing facilities. While food testing is not currently our top focus, we are mindful that food pathogens are an important area where rapid and cost-effective detection will make an impact. We hope to have more news for you on the use of NuTecs for food safety monitoring in the future. Stay tuned.
Photo credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, Director John Thompson watching chemist Bertha Munks test food in Tallahassee, Florida.