2024 Food Safety Summit Highlights

A highlight of the 2024 Food Safety Summit in Rosemont IL was a presentation given on the topic of how new pathogens emerge, how they adapt to their environment, and how food safety professionals can determine the most effective strategy to stay a step ahead of these microbial threats.

The first presenter, Dr. Alvin Lee from the University of Illinois opened the symposium by sharing his research on how microorganisms can adapt to overcome environmental stressors, and how these environmental stressors can cause an increase in pathogenicity. A compelling example of pathogen survival shared by Dr. Lee was a study that demonstrated that the microaerophilic Camplylobacter jejuni can adapt to become aerotolerant under the right environmental conditions. Since the fastidious C. jejuni is known for its vulnerability to aerobic conditions, these findings come as a surprise.

Dr. Purnendu Vasavada from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls further expounded on the microevolution of microbial pathogens, driving home his point that the only thing we can count on is that the organisms will adapt and change. He shared a timeline of the discovery of pathogens throughout recorded history, and highlighted the bleak reality that as we discover and learn to combat new microbial threats, new ones emerge onto the scene. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the old pathogens reemerge with new defenses. He compared this predicament to a game of Whac-a-Mole; as soon as we think we have one threat under control, a new one appears.

But in spite of their evidently unlimited resilience, Dr. Brendan Niemira from the USDA rounded out the session with practical strategies to counteract these microscopic opponents and ensure the efficacy of food protection countermeasures. He summarized potential responses into four categories: avoidance, containment, eradication, and “watchful waiting.” Each of these approaches comes with its own benefits and drawbacks, highlighting the importance of implementing continuous risk and hazard assessments.