Food supply chain safety

Rope offers low-tech solution to E. coli testing problems
Alberta scientists allow cattle a good chew the night before slaughter; on-site lab then tests the saliva for signs of infection
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Canadians form research consortium for bioactive paper
Initiative leverages advances in biochemistry with current paper-production processes; researchers aim for food packaging capable of indicating contamination
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Greater role for private industry in foreign food safety
Worries about terrorism notwithstanding, the number of imported food inspectors at U.S. seaports continues to decline; private industry may have to pick up the slack
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Color-changing material indicates chemical weapons exposure
Tiny polymer spheres are melted into a shimmery sheet; technology could have appplications in food safety and anti-counterfeiting efforts
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NASA tests space-bound rapid bacteria assay
Trips to Mars may expose astronauts and their equipment to dangerous bacteria and fungi
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Missouri researcher develops advanced juice-testing technique
Rapid test for Alicyclobacillus should improve exports to Japan; DNA sequencing is coupled with mid-infrared spectroscopy
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FDA rejects notion of food oversight consolidation
David Acheson says no to the idea of creating a new agency or consolidating operations at USDA
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FDA considers testing regime for E. coli vaccines
Canada’s Bioniche Life Sciences has a running start in Canada, but questions remain about who will pay the bill
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Virginia prepares for Food Security Summit
Speakers will include experts on sustainability, food-borne microbes, food distribution, hunger policy, and government regulations
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Congress considers reorganizing pest inspectors
Inspections are down after CBP absorbed the DOA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; legislation will reverse the arrangement; pests and disease cause $41 billion in damage each year
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New fiber-optic light source for food inspection
Princeton Lightwave and OFS Labs team up to improve imaging capabilities of live-scan cameras; fiber grating creates a perfect rectangular beam of light
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Food producers begin to adopt product tracking systems
Dole and Western Growers install RFID and GPS systems; voluntary regulations take hold throughout California
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Critics charge that FDA's food monitoring does not pass inspection
In 2006 the FDA conducted just half the inspections it conducted in 2003; the FDA safety tests on U.S.-produced food fell almost 75 percent during the same period; FDA inspection of imported food fell by 25 percent
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Schwarzenegger to support voluntary E. coli regulations
Governor opposes a trio of popular bills to impose safety standards on leafy greens, instead supporting industry self-monitoring
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Delaware scientists use iron to remove viruses from water
The target of new EPA regulations, viruses are mainly invulnerable to chlorinization; elemental, non-valent iron destroys 99 percent of E. coli, rotavirus, and others; inexpensive filtration method relies on the byproduct of iron and steel production
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