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edited by Dr. Al B. Wagner, and produced by Extension Horticulture, Texas Cooperative Extension, The Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas.
CHICAGO – The role of food safety in the future development of new foods and food products will be greater than ever according to major innovators and leaders in food science and technology. And the more frequently that food experts of various disciplines and organizations can collaborate on safety developments, the better the United States’ food markets will become say these top executives in the September issue of Food Technology, the monthly publication of the Institute of Food Technologists.
The abilities of all groups actively involved in research and development to work in conjunction is a paramount concern, according to the article.
David Lineback, the director of the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the University of Maryland and an IFT member said, “Current issues in food safety and in R&D transcend the boundaries of any one discipline and are not conveniently packaged in conceptual frameworks unique to industry, government or academia. The issues are larger. A new paradigm is needed.” Lineback predicts a future approach to R&D that, “will be multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional...based on building partnerships involving government, industry, academia, consumers, commodity organizations and trade groups carefully selected to address specific issues.” “If government played the role of matchmaker, setting goals and bringing together industry, academia, and even government labs, there could be basic breakthroughs in food R&D,” said Al Clausi, retired senior vice president and chief research officer of General Foods, Inc., and 2001 recipient of the Appert Award, IFT’s highest honor for contributions to the field of food technology. “We do it in the military and space (programs) and to some degree in medicine. We don’t do it in food.” “There are some fledgling steps in that direction,” Clausi observed. “We need more of them.” Lineback agreed. “It will take time, great effort, and a mutual commitment to making (these connections) happen,” he said. New technologies ensuring food safety will continue to grow in importance, according to David McNair, IFT member and vice president of global research and development and quality assurance with Campbell Soup Co. One such technology already exists. “Adapting irradiation of food would be beneficial in improving shelf life and food safety,” said IFT member D. Ramkishan Rao, a national program leader with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lineback also predicts other forms of R&D benefitting food safety. “The continuing development of time-temperature indicators has implications for commercial development to improve food safety.” Nizar El-Khoury, IFT member and associate director of food and beverage research and development with Procter & Gamble Far East, Inc., in Japan, simply and firmly stated, “Food safety and quality are not negotiable. Proper legislation and systems must be in place to protect the consumer, and R&D can help in developing the tools and measures to control such issues.” This analysis by twelve major food executives from academia, government and industry on this topic and others coincides with efforts by food and restaurant groups and the federal government to recognize September as National Food Safety Education Month for the seventh consecutive year.
Food Technology is published monthly by the IFT, providing news and analysis of the development, use, quality, safety, and regulation of food sources, products, and processes.
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