Decoding DNA: Modern Practices for Winning the War on Bacteria

You’ve probably heard of genetic mapping. It’s become a medical research staple over the past few decades to help professionals decode and comprehend the growth potential and intent of modern diseases. But new breakthroughs are leading top microbiologists toward mapping the DNA of bacteria responsible for food poisoning outbreaks as well.

Salmonella, E.coli, campylobacter and listeria are the top food poisoning bacteria concerns for pregnant women. But microbiologists are currently focusing on listeria, the third top prenatal danger, since it’s found practically everywhere on the planet. Technical advances have already led to containing an outbreak responsible for one death and seven severe illnesses across the U.S.

Salmonella Outbreak Victims Unite: $6.8 Million Lawsuit Makes History

On June 2, 2014 a court decision shocked the nation as one of the largest egg manufacturers in the U.S. was charged with almost $7 million in fines for their responsibility in a nationwide salmonella breakout in 2010. The owner and chief operating officer of Quality Egg LLC, 79 year old Austin DeCoster and his son, 50-year-old Peter DeCoster, are charged with knowingly selling unapproved food to commercial businesses. The act earned them each a misdemeanor. Both DeCosters were charged $100,000 fines, each, and may be convicted for up to a year in prison.

Safety First: Combating Salmonella One Test at a Time

Food contaminants are wide spread concerns which affect the health and safety of millions of Americans annually. Whether food is mishandled at the manufacturing level or unclean conditions between the factory and home are involved, the outcome can be minor to severe, depending on the actual cause of the contamination.

Listeria Takes Over the World

Improper food and substance handling from factories to store shelve have led to mass panic and true outbreaks in bacterial-based contamination of food sources. Each year it seems as though there’s a new super pathogen. Without the aid of upfront microbiology quality assurance, several pathogens and bacterial strains developed resistance to simple antibacterial and pharmaceutical treated strategies. However, if you've recently watched news or read a paper, you've likely heard another name: listeria.

Microbial Food Trends

Every year seems to end with its own share of food-related scares and scandals. And 2013 made its own mark on both ends. With the recent and ongoing bacteria-laced scares, as well as the European-based horse meat scandal, Americans have spoken out and expressed their unwillingness to take anymore. It’s about time. As such, food trends for 2014 focus more on microbial testing and elimination of specific pathogen-based contaminants.

Another Salmonella Outbreak Courtesy of Foster Farms

If you've watched or read the news lately, you’re likely familiar with the name Foster Farms. The California-based business is famed for its farm-raised poultry… and salmonella scares, of course. Since March, 2013, the company has been blast beaten with continual health-related infestations (obviously they’re unfamiliar with microbiological testing). But it seemed as though the salmonella situation was contained… until it wasn’t.

The Need for Microbiological Testing in Medical Marijuana

In the 1960s, the U.S government blocked all research testing of cannibis products, stating it was not medicinally beneficial, even though many chronically ill patients, and their doctors alike, disagreed. While in 2001, the government rejected appeals for retesting while insisting they couldn’t sign off on medical guarantees due to the fact that marijuana has never been properly tested. State laws have been amended over the past decade or so to allow for new testing procedures in the event of medically necessary marijuana prescriptions.

Keep Fido Safe: Microbiological Testing for Pet Food

Ask any animal lover and they’ll tell you their pets are family. The 170 million pampered dogs and cats in the U.S alone that add to the annual $22 million pet food industry; which is expected to double in earnings within the next few years. People simply want to give their pets the very best lives possible, from food to fashion. The unexpected loss of a beloved pet due to bacteria-laced food is an unnecessary emotional hit to any family; which is why microbiological testing is so important to the health and happiness of your furry family members.

5 Changes in Microbiological Testing for the Food Industry

The globalization of the food supply chain and the growing concern over food safety expressed by the public has placed heavy demands and expectations on the food microbiology diagnostics sector. Players in the field describe this as a challenging and critical time which presents a mixed bag of fortunes. As it is with any market dynamics, those who are well informed stand to reap the most.

Strategic Consulting, Inc. (SCI) has published two new data reports that reveal five major trends in the food testing domain that will shape 2014.