Tracing the contamination source-A new DNA based tool

Food poisoning episodes are increasingly being reported from countries like the US where even the best of growing and processing practices are not able to stop them completely. Naturally in a country where people cook very little at home and depend on market offered foods, the chances of getting infected or exposed to bacterial toxins are very high. It is not rational or logical to expect that every food handling facility can be kept under eternal surveillance because of high cost involved and limited availability of technical personnel equipped with the wherewithal to assess the safety of these facilities. Traceability is the mot urgent need for the safety monitoring agencies to stop food poisoning episodes in order to stop them in their tracks and take preemptive steps to avoid further damage through product recall. With global food trade becoming more and more easier and moving on a fast track, food materials travelling over 10,000 km is becoming very common. Though self sufficiency is a beautiful word, achieving it is beyond the realm of possibility for many countries, thus increasing the interdependence of nations for meeting their food needs. In this context a method for use of DNA solutions with specific identity for spraying on to the surface of produce materials is being developed for any future identification of the source of origin if there is a contingency arising due to infection of the produce. Here is a take on this novel technique.

"In the labs at DNATrek, the scientists create different liquids that each contain a unique DNA sequence. The sequences would be combined with safe-to-eat food additives, such as the waxes that are now sometimes added to the surfaces of apples and cucumbers. Spray-on DNA bar codes help trace food-borne illnesses | Genetic Literacy Project—stamping the produce with their signature genetic bar code. If needed in the case of an outbreak, investigators could use polymerase chain reaction technology to decipher the bar code and determine where the produce was grown and what route it had traveled. According to Anthony Zografos, founder and CEO of DNATrek: If there's a problem at home and there's a piece of the cantaloupe left, you can pick it out of the trash, you can scrub the surface, and all the available information is there and you know exactly where it came from.In only 15 to 20 minutes, scientists would be able to find out all the particulars of the produce. In an outbreak, time is of the essence; lives could be saved. And the technology is relatively inexpensive too. The spray will probably cost $1 for every 1,000 pounds of produce. Compare that to the estimated $150 billion a year that the U.S. directly or indirectly, spends on food-borne illnesses in a year." 

In this scheme of things each supplier is allotted a particular DNA solution which needs to be applied on the surface of the produce and by polymerase reaction the DNA sequence can be determined in about 15-20 min if and when the need arises subsequently at any point in the supply chain to identify the source.. The product currently developed is based on synthetic DNA though DNA derived from seaweed can also be used as it is one of the safest with no safety problem. As the DNA bits used are of small chain length, it is claimed that their presence would have no adverse reaction at the consumer end. Any biotechnology endeavor, especially involving DNA maneuvering, will be viewed with apprehension and therefore this technology also will face hostile reaction from some section of scientists which will have to be overcome with necessary safety data on its use.

V.H.POTTY

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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

SPICE EXPORTS-STIFFENING INTERNATIONAL SAFETY NORMS

India's dominance in world trade in spices appears to be in danger if the industry does not rise to the challenges posed by new and more stringent quality and safety regulations which are being implemented by many buyer countries. According to the spice industry rejection rates of Indian shipments of spices are becoming alarming and considering that safety is of paramount importance, especially in Japan, Europe and the US, there should not be any surprise if these countries start clamping down on imports from India. The conventional attitude that buyers have no choice but come to India is no more relevant to day and if urgent pro-active steps are not taken to streamline many of the present industrial practices with more stress on safety, there are countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, China and some countries in Africa ready to step in to satisfy the spice needs of the world sooner than later. Here is a commentary on the subject which is an eye opener for spice industry for taking steps for self correction.    

"Indian spice traders and producers are facing challenges like food safety, sustainability and traceability. Food safety regulations are affecting spice exports especially to the countries like Germany, France, England, Japan and Australia. India is biggest producer and exporter of spices in the world. As the regulations varies from country-to-country, it is becoming hard to maintain all the required standards. According to reports, the total export of spices from India during the current financial year, up to November 2011, is 351,900 tonnes valued at Rs 6,209.08 crore. But considering the volumes, the export shows a decline of five per cent in the current year as compared to the previous year. The spices exports for the financial year 2011-12 is fixed at 500,000 tonnes valuing Rs 6,500 crore. The countries that import the maximum of spice products from India are Malaysia for chilli and coriander, USA for pepper, celery, spice oils and oleo resins, China for mint products, Saudi Arabia for cardamom, UAE for turmeric, Bangladesh for ginger and garlic, Pakistan for cardamom large and fennel, UK for cumin, Japan for fenugreek, Nigeria for curry powders and Nepal for other seed spices. Geemon Korah, CEO, Kancor Ingredients Ltd said, "These regulations are badly hitting our export markets. Therefore sustainability is a major issue. The maximum containers are rejected from European countries, Japan and Australia. We are largest exporter of chilli and ginger to these countries." "India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices in the world today, contributing about 48 per cent of the world's requirement of spices. As the global demand for spices is spurring up, it throws up several challenges, mainly for food sustainability, traceability and safety standards. These are not just issues, but threats that can affect the very existence of the spice industry in the country," said A Jayathilak, chairman, Spices Board of India",

There is no point in blaming the buying countries for stiffening the safety standards because increasing knowledge about food contamination and its fatal consequences are forcing the whole world to do that for preventing food poisoning among their population due to imported foods. The Fenugreek "episode" in Europe last year for which imported sprouts from Egypt were blamed brought new focus on this issue and many importing countries are taking measures to prevent repeat of such incidences in future. If India has been caught in this "whirlpool", the country has to blame itself for the situation. No doubt Spices Board is doing a reasonably good job in disciplining the export trade but unless there is an unwavering commitment to quality and safety by the industry, the exports are bound to suffer in the long run.

V.H.POTTY
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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

   

SUPPLY CHAIN TRACKING-NEW CHALLENGES

Food manufacturing and selling have never been easy at any time because of the heavy burden for food suppliers in general to be accountable to the consumer in terms of quality and safety. Earlier every one assumed that once a sample of a food conforms to the specifications laid down in statute books, they were safe vis-a-vis any responsibility arising out of any safety incidence from consuming their products. Whether it is the lax attitude on the part of the safety vigilance agencies or inherent faults in the manufacturing system, there have been increasing episodes of food poisoning requiring recall of hundreds of products from the market costing billions of dollars to the industry. It is against this background that more stringent and reliable systems are being considered for "tracing" the sources of foods/raw materials/inputs used by the manufacturers, the intention being restricting the damage caused in the event of a food poisoning episode. While it may sound simple, for many manufacturers deploying complex manufacturing methods and using a number of input materials obtained from multiple sources, it is a nightmarish situation. Emergence of logistical service providers using IT enabled software systems is timely to help the food industry to meet the new challenges. Here is a glimpse into this churning process the industry is going through to satisfy the safety agencies vis-a-vis new situation.  

"A white paper prepared last year by Irista, a supply chain software and services provider, reports, "This year alone, there have been recalls of hot dogs contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, dinner buns produced with eggs not listed as ingredients causing allergic reactions, pizzas made with milk not listed on the product's label, and most recently, another large recall of E. coli contaminated hamburger." According to numbers compiled by RedPrairie, also a supply chain software producer, the FDA issued more than 400 food product recalls between January and August of last year. And the pace of food recalls is growing. It's not that the food industry is becoming less safe: Food producers have made enormous investments in food safety. But in the aftermath of food contamination incidents in recent years, the government is paying more attention than ever to food safety. As a result, food distributors are under greater pressure than ever to keep track of where their products have been and where they are now. And distributors have to know their shipment history in greater detail than ever. Tracking where the goods are and where they've been is important not only for complying with the law, but also for protecting the company and its brands.On those occasions when something does go wrong, the ability to act quickly, to know where all the affected goods are, and to know that they have been recovered depends in large part on complete information on every inbound and outbound shipment".

While incorporating supply chain software program in well managed food companies may not pose much of a logistical problem, how effective it can be in to day's global food business system is a question that will haunt both the safety agencies as well as the industry. The most difficult problem to be encountered is getting reliable and actionable details of suppliers from third world countries from where some of the inputs are sourced. Also distributors will be in greater trouble since many food products are sourced from third country manufacturers like China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia etc where the safety vigilance infrastructure and practices are not well established. Ultimately how the global food business will be affected by the current recognition of the importance of traceability in the supply chain will have to be seen in the course of next two years after the implementation of the new policy by countries like the US.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

PERILS OF INTERNATIONAL FOOD TRADE-LIVE WITH E.COLI TWO YEARS MORE?

Did anyone forget about the E.coli tragedy that happened in Europe recently? Probably it may be difficult to remove the images of misery and trauma experienced by those who had the misfortune to consume salads supposed to be healthy! It was expected that with powerful enforcement machinery at its disposal the EU would not spare any effort to get to the "bottom" of this incidence to "pin point the culprit" and sure enough they found one in some Fenugreek seeds supposed to have been imported from Egypt, used for sprouting by the manufacturer in Germany. Look at the trail which was unraveled which highlights, if true, the imponderable dangers inherent in international import-export business.

Wired magazine reported the first wave of cases, in Germany in May, arose from a firm that grew and sold sprouts at wholesale. The sprouts from that farm would subsequently be linked to 41 separate clusters of cases; all of them could be traced back to that facility's sprouts, re-sold as a produce item somewhere in Europe. A second wave, in "France in June, initially confounded investigators. Out of those 16 cases, 11 had attended the same event. They did eat sprouts there — but not sprouts from the German farm. Instead, the sprouts had been grown by the event's catering firm, from seeds the company had bought at an everyday garden center. That shifted the focus from the German farm's practices to the seeds that both the farm and the caterer used. The German farm sold two blends of grown sprouts, spicy (grown from fenugreek and radish seeds and black and brown lentils) and mild (fenugreek and alfalfa seeds, adzuki beans and lentils). The French caterer had used three seed types: fenugreek, mustard and rocket (or roquette; what Americans call arugula). The only type in common with both companies and all the mixtures was fenugreek. That discovery sent EU investigators in pursuit of fenugreek seeds back down the European food chain, in a rapid-fire search that deployed personnel from eight countries' food agencies as well as the ECDC, World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. They drafted a detailed 4-page questionnaire that fed data into Excel spreadsheets and a relational database. They crunched (and crunched and crunched) the numbers, and this is what emerged: All of the seeds came from a single shipment that left a port in Egypt almost 2 years earlier, on Nov. 24, 2009. The seeds took a tortuous path. That initial shipment — which was immense, 15,000 kg (33,000 lbs) — was containerized at the port of Damietta in Egypt, shipped by boat to Antwerp in Belgium, went by barge to Rotterdam in the Netherlands where it passed customs, and then was trucked to Germany. There, an importer broke up the shipment: 10,500 kg to a single German distributor; 3,550 kg to nine other German companies; 375 kg to a Spanish company; 250 kg to an Austrian distributor that sold the entire lot to a single Austrian company; and 400 kg to a company in England".

Will there be any effort on the part of the global community to bring in some sanity in the present system? It is time to put in place an easier and more reliable "traceability" protocol that can trace the contaminated foods or ingredients to the source in a matter of few hours rather than weeks and months as it happened in the present case? One always wonders the Egyptian Fenugreek has become a scapegoat while sparing the local manufacturer all the blues! There is even a scientific theory floated to explain how the "indicted" bug got attached to the seed coat with "firm" bonding capable of withstanding the rigors of the shipment, storage and multiple stage handling conditions! If such an attitude to blame developing countries for every food poisoning episode in the world, what will happen to the concept of a seamless "world trading system" with no barriers? WTO must mull over this important issue without any further delay.

V.H.POTTY

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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"TRACEABILITY" IN FOOD CHAINS-THE DNA TECHNOLOGY

Eating in a restaurant is becoming increasingly complicated with the customers being bombarded with threat perceptions regarding the "healthiness" of the menu and safety of the preparations offered by the caterer. Enjoying the food in one's favorite restaurant needs an atmosphere not marred by tension, suspicion and fear and that is why people frequent some restaurants regularly after experiencing the pleasure of eating good and safe food. Unfortunately time has changed, especially in western countries where "healthiness" has overtaken the eating quality of the foods served. Foods rich in salt or sugar or fat are being increasingly shunned because of the fear that they can damage the health from diseases like CVD, blood pressure, diabetes, over weight syndrome and obesity. Trust in the ability of a caterer to provide safe food is progressively ebbing and regulatory authorities are stepping in for safety enforcement. Latest fad that is being promoted is the DNA reading instruments which can trace the ingredients used in a food preparation and help the processor to decide on the quality of products like meat. When such "traceable" ingredients are used and when the customer is informed about it, the restaurants can charge premium prices for preparations made from them. Here is a take on this development that is taking place using modern electronic and biotechnology techniques.

The technology can determine not only where the meat came from, but also whether it's organic or Angus — or whatever the label says. Workers take DNA samples at processing and other places along the supply chain. The samples are gathered to determine the specific animals each product came from. Information kept by farmers and others involved in the raising and processing of the animals can be added to give a more complete history. DNA tracing also provides a faster way to identify the source of contaminated meat in the event of a recall, speeding the process from weeks or months to just hours. For example, it can identify the multiple animals whose parts were used in ground beef, which Holm said may be made from 1,000 different animals in a 10-pound box. The technology's ability to pinpoint particular animals could even reduce the amount of meat affected by recalls, which generally are tremendously costly for producers, suppliers and others. "In more recent years, food safety issues have become much more prominent in the supply chain here," said Ronan Loftus, co-founder of IdentiGEN Ltd., which is working with Performance Food Group on its DNA tracing. Countries like the United Kingdom and others turned to the technology because of food safety concerns, including worries about mad cow disease.

How far such "gimmicks" will impress the customers remains to be seen. Probably over the years DNA tracing may become an industry standard, especially for meat products which are accessed from different sources and it could be helpful for the industries, both processing as well as catering, to trace the source of meat supplied to them by the distributor. Besides this technique can also prevent false claims about the type of meat supplied and reveal whether good meat is adulterated with inferior ones.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

LABELING "TRAUMA"-A "CATCH 24" SITUATION?

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is an issue that is hotting up in the EU because of its implications beyond Europe. One of the cardinal principles of global free trade is "non-discrimination" of products based on country where they are manufactured as it can be construed as an indirect attempt to influence the buying decisions of the consumer at the market place. If the product quality is same there is no reason why a consumer cannot buy a product made in another country and the rigorous testing systems put in place at the entry points in each country is supposed to allow only safe and quality compliant products in. The "patriotism" factor, "local produce" movements, carbon foot print figures, cheap labor cost, lack of hygiene and sanitation, etc are all invoked to shun foreign made goods and protect nonviable local industry. If the global village concept is accepted there is no place for such discriminative trade practices any where in the world.

"Supporters of the proposed COOL regulation say it would put a stop to the practice of meat imported from countries outside the EU being processed, say in Ireland, and then being labelled as produce of Irish origin. While this is it legal, they say, it seems neither fair nor equitable as it comes perilously close to misleading consumers. Opponents counter by arguing the imposition of COOL across the board would cause serious difficulties for manufacturers of complex products such as pizzas, pies and ready meals that buy ingredients from multiple sources according to factors such availability or seasonal variation. Taken to its most extreme, they warn of vast labels listing the origin of dozens of ingredients, covering swathes of food packaging. Constantly changing labels would increase costs and waste. And inevitably, these additional costs will be passed onto customers. Everyone agrees consumers shouldn't be misled about the provenance of food. But where do we draw the line between this and the heaping of questionable bureaucracy on companies that may force some players out of the market and cut customer choice? On food labelling, as with everything else, knowledge is power. Devised properly they allow us to make informed choices about what we eat. But it is vital to find the balance between serving up portion-sized information that illuminates rather than dishing up an overload of data that risks keeping consumers in the dark and placing needless strain on food manufacturers".

Looking from another perspective, indicating the country of origin should not be an issue at all, if the manufacturing countries which export their food products have nothing to fear on the quality or safety count and probably such declaration should bring honor to them. If the products are good, consumers can be expected to prefer them over the locally made ones over a period of time. It is the industry which is having a problem as illustrated by the report above. While traceability is a desired goal which will be useful in identifying the source of food contamination responsible for food poisoning as and when it occurs, practicability of any strategy that is considered must be kept in view.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MAKING FOOD SAFER-NEED FOR TRACEABILITY

Samonella contamination of fresh produce like tomato, spinach and, jalapeno pepper, encountered during the last two years in some counties was an alarm signal regarding the risks involved in producing and marketing fresh vegetables, even if the hygiene infrastructure used in the packing sheds is of impeccable standards. The fact that food poisoning was not traced to the source even after 6 months of the first reported case highlights the practical constraints in ensuring absolute safety of these products. Supply chain logistics can be daunting since modern retailing involves sourcing from different regions and even outside the countries in some cases making it difficult to trace any contamination to the original source. Recent initiative in the US, is an attempt to overcome such traceability problems through administrative action and electronic based systems are being thought of to make such systems work more efficiently, reliably and fast.

The bar code technology which is used world-wide for product identification and incorporating lot of information about a product can be helpful in evolving a system that will help to trace the origin and history of a farm produce. The US is in the fore front in this important endeavor."The Produce Traceability Initiative aims to create a common standard for electronically tracing produce by the end of 2012. The plan involves adopting a standardized system of bar-coding for all produce sold in the United States, allowing products to be tracked throughout the distribution chain". In order for the farms growing the fresh produce to set up such systems, retailers will have to extend their support and a mutually beneficial alliance can make it a reality.

While bar code technology can help trace the original source of an agriculture produce, it can have some consequences on the present trading practices. With local produce movement gaining grounds, bar code will reveal the supply source giving an advantage to local producers. The way retailing industry works to day, sourcing its supplies from around the world, will also undergo dramatic changes as more and more local materials will have to be stocked and central procurement, processing and packing centers may also yield to more decentralized operations in the coming years. Products coming from developing countries also could be discriminated against, if the source is identifiable. Environmentalists would be delighted to see such bar code system operating as it will encourage consumption of products with less carbon prints.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com