CSREES and Food Safety Research

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CSREES and Food Safety Research

• Mary E. Torrence DVM, Ph.D., DACVPM, FACE
• National Program Leader for Food Safety

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Research, Education, and Economics
I. Miley Gonzalez Under Secretary 720-5923
Eileen Kennedy Deputy Under Secretary 720-8885
Office of the Under Secretary

• USDA Global Change Program Office
• Office of Water Quality
• National Agricultural Pesticide Impact
• Assessment Program
• Office of REE Advisory Committee

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) ...... Admini
strator Floyd Horn 720-3656
Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES) ......
Administrator Colien Hefferan 720-4423
Economic Research Service (ERS) ...... Administra
tor Susan Offutt 694-5000
National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) ...... Administrator Donald
Bay 720-2707
Administrative and Financial Management (AFM) ....
.. Acting Deputy Administrator Wiz Horner 690-2575
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Funding Opportunities

• National Integrated Food Safety Initiative
• NRI- 32.1 Epidemiological Approaches for Food
  Safety
• NRI - 32.0 Food Safety (Human Nutrition, Food
  Safety, and Animal Health)
• Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food
  Systems (IFAFS)

www.reeusda.gov
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CSREES Food Safety Grants- 2000 (NRI)

• 32.1 Epidemiological Approaches for F.S.
• 5 awards
• Range 231,000-1,392,000
• Avg 811,000

• 32.0 Ensuring F.S
• 24 Awards
• Range 60,000 - 310,000
• Avg 196,5000

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32.0 Food Safety

• Basic, laboratory- type research with an emphasis
  on method development
• Development of prevention/control strategies and
  improved detection methods
• Identification of obstacles to safe food habits
  and development of intervention strategies
• Approaches to and models for risk assessments

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32.1 Epidemiological Approaches for Food Safety

• Large, population-type/field studies
• Identification of risk factors, sources and
  reservoirs
• Identification and/or assessment of management
  practices, intervention strategies
• Provide data for risk assessments

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National Integrated Food Safety Initiative

• New integrated program that replaced Special Food
  Safety Research Grants and Food Safety and
  Quality National Education Initiative
• Awarded around 14 million in 2000
• Proposals due May 14, 2001

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2000 Grant Awards

• 29 Awards
• Range 285,491 - 600,000

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Major Areas of Emphasis

• Integration of a research and educational or
  extension program
• Food Safety research areas include risk
  assessment, control measures, fresh fruits and
  vegetables, sources and reservoirs
• Educational areas include food handler education,
  HACCP model development, testing, and
  implementation

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Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food
Systems (IFAFS)

• Proposals were due April 23
• To provide science-based solutions for emerging
  issues
• Areas include agricultural genome, biotechnology,
  food safety, technology and human nutrition, new
  uses for agricultural products, natural
  resources, farm efficiency and profitability.

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Funded Research from the National Integrated Food
Safety Initiative - Listeria monocytogenes
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Minimizing the risk of Listeria monocytogenes and
other pathogens in dried foods(J. Sofos,
Colorado State Univ., 479,223)

• Develop pre-drying treatments and drying
  processes effective in destroying bacteria
• Evaluate the incorporation of antimicrobials for
  inhibition of contaminants

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Control strategies for Listeria monocytogenes in
food processing environments(M. Wiedmann,
Cornell Univ., 534,287)

• Develop, evaluate and deliver science-based
  outreach programs for improved control strategies
• The use of environmental control strategies and
  sanitation procedures to reduce Listeria

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Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms by
plasma-deposited antibacterial layers(A. Wong,
Univ. of Wisconsin, 285,491)

• To use plasma-aided technologies to develop
  antibacterial surfaces to inhibit biofilm
  formation

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1999 NRI Awards-

• Genetic markers and pathogenesis features of
  Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b (S.
  Kathariou, Univ of Hawaii, 222,000)
• A membrane fluidity model for sensitivity of
  foodborne pathogens to preservatives (T.
  Montville, Rutgers Univ., 230,405)
• Transmission of Listeria monocytogenes in food
  systems (M. Wiedmann, Cornell U., 192,000)

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NRI continued..

• Molecular mechanisms of psychotropy in Listeria
  monocytogenes (B. Wilkinson, Illinois State U.,
  253,000)
• Listeria monocytogenes ozone inactivation (S.
  Martin, Univ of Ill., 95,000)

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Special Research Grants- 1999

• Post-process Pasteurization of Packaged, RTE Meat
  Products for Control of Listeria monocytogenes
  (H. Thippareddi, Kansas State U, 124,026)

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Characterization of Antimicrobials and Risk
Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes on Hot Dogs
(J. Sebranek, Iowa State Univ., 275,000)

• Exploratory Phase- Sodium diacetate sodium
  diacetate/sodium lactate/potassium benzoate
  sodium diacetate/potassium benzoate
• Comprehensive Phase- 3, 6 solutions 5
  temperatures

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Quantitation of Listeria monocytogenes in RTE
foods and Risk Assessment (D. Gombas, NFPA
Research Foundation, 340,000)

• Preliminary findings- 1 prevalence in luncheon
  meats 2 prevalence in prepared salads low
  counts
• Next steps- compare subtypes with human
  outbreaks survey 5 other product categories