A recent study evaluated four commercial disinfectants that are listed by EPA as being "active" against human norovirus. The study found that three of the disinfectants did not work well against the virus. The fourth, however, was found to be very effective at killing norovirus.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses have revealed pervasive Listeria monocytogenes strains to be an issue throughout the Norwegian food system, and researchers hypothesize that genetics may factor into which strains survive and spread in food production environments.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will conduct targeted sampling of leafy greens as part of the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan (LGAP). The agency also provided updates on the progress of LGAP and a summary report of a 2021 sampling assignment.
Researchers at BSC Electronics in Perth, Australia have developed a berry-harvesting robot that can kill fungi on the fruits it picks by using ultraviolet (UV) light.
Scientists have developed a rapid detection method for microbial contaminants in food that can identify the presence of certain pathogens by color in as little as one hour.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has summarized its investigations of possible multistate outbreaks caused by Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes in 2017–2020.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has reviewed its investigation of a 2018–2019 foodborne illness outbreak involving chicken contaminated by a multi-drug resistant Salmonella Infantis strain, which was the first time that FSIS identified a strain as “persistent.”
A study conducted by Penn State University researchers has shown pulsed light technology to be an effective method for inactivating microbial contaminants in food applications.