nifa food safety portfolio: an overview · –food safety, nutrition and health (15%) –practical...

NIFA Food Safety Portfolio:

an overview

Max Teplitski, Ph.D.

National Program Leader

Food Safety and Microbiology

USDA NIFA IFSN

Opportunities and challenges in

Food Safety and Food Security

2002 (tomatoes), 141 cases

2006 (tomatoes), 183 cases

2008 (cantaloupes), 51 cases

2009 (alfalfa sprouts), 235 cases

2010 (alfalfa sprouts), 140 cases

2011 (sprouts), 25 cases

2008 (tomatoes/peppers), 1442 cases

2012 (cantaloupes), 261 cases

2013 (cucumbers), 84 cases

2014 (cucumbers), 257 cases

Identifying, characterizing and mitigating such

foodborne hazards is one of the goals of

NIFA’s Food Safety portfolio

Survival and internalization of human pathogens in leafy greens University of California - Davis

Images courtesy of Dr. M. Melotto

Survival and internalization of human pathogens in leafy greens (2) University of California - Davis

Survival and internalization of human pathogens in leafy greens (3) University of California - Davis

• Salmonella (not E.coli) evolved to evade

plant defense responses

• Weakened plant defense responses lead

to an increase (1-2 log/cm2) in human

pathogens • Lettuce cultivars differ (1-1.5 log) in

susceptibility to Salmonella

Dissemination of pathogens with surface water: an intervention Cornell University

Images courtesy of Dr. R. Ivanek

Dissemination of pathogens with surface water: an intervention (2) Cornell University

•Chance of contamination is higher

in furrow plots than in drip-irrigated

plots

•UV irradiation reduced pathogen

load by 100-1,000 fold

•Water treatment with urea reduced

pathogen load by 100-1,000 fold

Focus of NIFA Food Safety programs

• Prevention, detection, and control of food and waterborne pathogens

• Ecology of food-borne pathogens

• Plant-pathogen interactions

• Improved processing to promote food safety

• Improving safety of fresh produce

• Ensuring safety of production systems, including organic agriculture

• Systems approach for mitigation of antibiotic resistance

• Interactions between food safety, nutrition and human health

• Providing food safety education

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

• Peer-reviewed competitive grants program

• FY15 funding: ~$274 million

• Projects funded: 554

– Plant health and production, plant products (~29%)

– Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment (17.5%)

– Food safety, nutrition and health (15%)

– Practical education to improve the lives of Youth, Consumers and Families (12%)

– Animal health and production, animal products (~11%)

– Agriculture economics and rural communities (10%)

– Agriculture systems and technology (5%)

Antimicrobial resistance and mitigation strategies in beef cattle University of Florida

Images by Dr. KC Jeong

Antimicrobial resistance and mitigation strategies in beef cattle (2) University of Florida

Antimicrobial resistance and mitigation strategies in beef cattle (3) University of Florida

Antimicrobial resistance and mitigation strategies in beef cattle (4) University of Florida

Images by Dr. KC Jeong

Vaccine to reduce Campylobacter in chickens University of Arizona

• Recombinant Salmonella Vaccine (oral and spray) reduced

Campylobacter load by 100-10,000 CFU/g feces in vaccine

trials

• U.S. Patent (approved), pending in Europe, China and Brazil

• Stakeholder survey to collect current interventions and

awareness of new FSIS performance standards

• Dynamic simulation model representative of a broiler

production system with inputs from stakeholders to allow

prediction of efficacy and costs of various interventions

Images courtesy of Dr. B.Law

Novel Salmonella control practices and integrated education NC State University

Images courtesy of Dr. H. Hassan

Novel Salmonella control practices and integrated education (2) NC State University

• Prebiotic GOC reduced Salmonella

load by 2-2.5 log (99% reduction)

• Vaccination reduced Salmonella load

by 3-3.5 log (99.9% reduction)

• GOC modulated gut microbiota (more

Firmicutes, Bacilli) to resist Salmonella

• Novel bacteriocin-producing

Lactobacillus isolated

• Developed education and software

programs about food-borne pathogens

and food safety for K-12, 4-H and the

public

Controlling Lawsonia infections of pigs to reduce Salmonella shedding: an intervention trial

University of Minnesota

Images courtesy of Dr. R. Isaacson

Controlling Lawsonia infections of pigs to reduce Salmonella shedding: an intervention trial (2)

University of Minnesota

•Lawsonia intracellularis increases shedding of

Salmonella enterica

•Vaccination against L. intracellularis will reduce

shedding of S. enterica

•Challenge with S. enterica reduced microbiota

but either challenge with L. intracellularis or use of a

live attenuated vaccine increased microbial diversity

Recovery of low-tolerance pathogens from foods and water University of Hawaii-Manoa

• Electroflotation to achieve truly real time detection of trace

contaminants with portable biotechnology

Images courtesy of Dr. D. Jenkins

Rapid food safety test with phage-conjugated nanoparticles Cornell University

Images courtesy of Dr. S. Nugen

Engineered water nanostructures (EWNS) to inactivate pathogens in fresh produce

Harvard University

Science-Based Messages to Improve Consumers’ Storage, Handling, and Preparation of Poultry and Poultry Products

Tennessee State

• Bacteria survive on some food packages

for months

• Youth are willing to share food safety

information with parents (74% increase in

youth’s knowledge, 64% willing to share

with parents)

• Adding food safety steps within recipe

instructions increases safe food handling

behaviors by 82-94%

• Type of kitchen lighting impacts visual

perception of meat doneness

http://www.tnstate.edu/tsuaged/peepcurriculum.aspx

Images courtesy of Dr. S. Godwin

USDA-NIFA FDA-CFSAN

FSMA Implementation Partnership

FSMA Framework for Industry Curriculum Development and Dissemination

Overall Vision

Add-on curricula

NIFA Food Safety Programs

• Approximately $40 million each year

• Range from $300,000 to $5 million

• Conference grants – up to $50,000

• International collaborations

• Training of future work force