Published in association with IFF
In today’s increasingly interconnected world, food safety is a critical priority directly impacting all levels of global supply chains. Whether you’re a retailer or food service outlet ensuring your products are safe, or an agrifood producer working to maintain high-quality standards, understanding how to mitigate food safety risks is key to protecting public health and ensuring a safer food system.
With our more complex food systems, reduction in the use of antibiotics and new regulatory efforts putting pressure on the sector, it is vital those in the agrifood sector act early to reduce spread of foodborne illnesses. While proper hygiene practices should be maintained by food service and consumers in the home, those further up value chains are taking a more proactive approach to prevent foodborne illnesses as early as possible. However, it is often not easy to detect these pathogens. In the livestock sector, animals in good health can asymptomatically carry bacteria harmful to humans which means a holistic, preventative approach is key.
Expana spoke with Dr. Ceinwen Evans, Senior Global Technical Manager for Danisco Animal Nutrition & Health which is part of IFF. Evans works to find food safety solutions that can be applied to animal feed at a farm level, so we discussed the growing importance of food safety in the agrifood sector, the most pressing risks facing the industry. We also covered how innovative nutritional strategies and biosecurity practices can help tackle pathogens including Campylobacter, which result in an estimated 33 million human deaths annually.
[Expana] Why is the issue of food safety more critical now than ever before?
[Ceinwen Evans] Food safety has become a more pressing issue due to the increasing complexity of the global food supply chain. This complexity allows contaminants to spread more easily and more quickly. Amid the global rising demand for protein and the reduction of antibiotic use in animal production, ensuring food safety is crucial to prevent foodborne illnesses and protect public health.
The intensification of farming to meet this demand can result in more animals housed in larger, more closely organized facilities. If hygiene or biosecurity practices are not to the highest standard there is an increased risk of disease and zoonotic transmission within and between farms.
Moving away from the farm, there is a growing public awareness and increased regulatory focus on foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter, which is a leading cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. The resulting scrutiny and more frequent testing will result in earlier and more frequent detections.
Additionally, the interconnectedness of markets and the growth in international trade further highlight the importance of maintaining food safety across entire production systems to prevent transmission to new geographies.
[Expana] What are the most significant food safety risks, that the agrifood sector should be prioritising?
[Ceinwen Evans] The food safety risks the agrifood sector should prioritise are those related to microbial contamination, particularly pathogens that pose a threat to human health but not necessarily to the animal, such as Campylobacter and certain strains of Salmonella. These cases, where the animal appears healthy and no veterinary intervention is required, are challenging to navigate and highlight the need for a holistic approach to food safety. Efforts must begin at the very start of the supply chain.
Tackling these risks requires a strong focus on reducing contamination at both the farm and processing stages. This includes implementing robust biosecurity and hygiene practices to minimise the introduction and spread of pathogens, alongside measures to prevent cross-contamination during processing and handling.
While food safety is a top priority, it must be balanced alongside broader sector challenges, including reducing antibiotic use, improving feed efficiency, lowering environmental impact, and enhancing animal welfare. Managing these interconnected issues effectively is essential to delivering safe, sustainable, and high-quality food to consumers. Afterall an animal is likely to be in better health and less susceptible to disease with a high-quality diet.
[Expana] What makes Campylobacter such a prominent concern in food safety?
[Ceinwen Evans] Campylobacter is a significant concern because it is one of the top four global causes of human diarrheal diseases, with approximately 90% of Campylobacter cases caused by C. Jejuni, it surpasses even Salmonella. Additionally, Campylobacter infections result in 33 million human deaths annually. A significant percentage of cases originate from the chicken reservoir. It only takes a small number of cells to cause an infection and there are currently no bulletproof control strategies. The pathogen’s ability to colonize the gastrointestinal tract of poultry and its presence in the food chain make it a critical target for food safety measures.
[Expana] How should we be addressing this pathogen to effectively maintain food safety throughout the entire supply chain?
[Ceinwen Evans] Addressing Campylobacter requires a comprehensive approach that includes surveillance and monitoring at various stages of the food supply chain.
One important element is to understand the complex interactions between the host, microbes, and diet. This involves reducing the faecal load on farms, which can lead to a significant reduction in carcass contamination and human infections. Iron and Phosphorus are both critical for Campylobacter to survive. By utilising a high dose of our phytase product Axtra® PHY GOLD producers can implement small dietary changes, such as removing added iron and dicalcium phosphate from the premix (the mixture of vitamins minerals and other additives incorporated into animal feed), which has been shown to help reduce the ability of Campylobacter to colonize birds.
These changes can aid in preventing Campylobacter infection alongside essential steps including maintaining strict biosecurity measures, improving hygiene practices, and ensuring proper cooking and handling of poultry products.
[Expana] Can you share more about the steps is IFF taking to tackle Campylobacter contamination?
[Ceinwen Evans] IFF is taking several steps to tackle Campylobacter contamination by developing nutritional health strategies that focus on controlling the pathogen on farm. Our studies have demonstrated that by implementing small dietary changes to reduce the availability of nutrients that Campylobacter relies on, such as iron and phosphorus, we reduce Campylobacter levels going into the processing plant.
Additionally, IFF is working on improving the bioavailability of these nutrients to the host while reducing their excess reaching the pathogen. These efforts have shown significant reductions in Campylobacter levels in poultry and contamination and ultimately decrease the risk of contamination in the food supply chain contributing to improved food safety.
Published in association with IFF
Written by Luke Bailey
