New Center Tackles Threats to Food Supply

Bioterrorism and natural dangers fuel farm-to-table research and education

By Deborah Silver, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 1/1/2002

The Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, the nation’s first facility dedicated to food-safety research across the entire food spectrum, has opened at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul.

While two other U.S. universities, Ohio State and Texas A&M, also have the necessary academic departments—agriculture, veterinary and public health—to establish such a center, Minnesota is the first to combine all the elements under one roof.

“Up until now, universities and government agencies have focused on the individual components of food safety, not the big picture,” says Center Director Dr. Will Hueston. “But September 11 and the events that followed woke us up. We now realize that things once considered outside the realm of possibility can happen, and that means we have to improve risk management on every level of the food-supply chain.”

The center ultimately will have a network in place to coordinate research and educational programs nationwide for a broad range of food-chain supply and safety issues, including farm-production practices, transportation, distribution and food handling in restaurant kitchens.

In the meantime, more immediate concerns such as potential threats to the food supply from bioterrorists have taken precedence. As one of its first tasks, the center organized a videoconference in conjunction with federal agencies (including the Department of Agriculture) that was presented to foodservice owners and managers in more than 20 Minnesota counties. The purpose was to provide them with a response plan in the event of a bioterrorist attack on the food supply. The center implemented a similar videoconference to train state veterinarians and employees to detect and monitor diseases such as foot and mouth.

“There are myriad food-safety issues,” says Hueston. “We have to choose the most critical and decide how we can have the most impact in the shortest period of time.”

Bioterrorism is the pressing issue of the moment, but Hueston anticipates that, as its dangers diminish, the more traditional concerns of disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli and salmonella, again will move to the forefront. Hueston says he also expects to see a number of other scenarios change in the coming years. Animal resistance to antibiotics is becoming increasingly prevalent, which will result in the emergence of increasing numbers of resistant organisms. In addition, new food sensitivities are developing and the number of immunosuppressed people is growing.

“Food safety is a dynamic field in that the issues are always changing,” says Hueston. “As a result, we have to develop a dynamic food system that can change as well. The goal, however, will always remain the same: to make the world a safer place to eat.”