The National Integrated
Food Safety Initiative - 2000 Project Summaries
Arkansas
Title: Systematic Approach to Microbial
Risk Assessment from Producers through Retailers
Principal Investigator: Philip Crandall,
Ph.D.
Department of Food Science
University of Arkansas
2650 N Young Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72704
Phone: (501) 575-7686
Fax: (501) 575-6936
Email: crandal@comp.uark.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $596170
Description: The overall goal of this project is to develop a systematic model
to integrate food safety, technology, and food engineering with production
and transportation economics into a reliable method of quantifying risk of
Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry and Salmonella and entero-hemorrhagic E.
coli in fruit and vegetable products.
Title: Improving
Microbial Safety and Shelf-Life of Fresh
Produce with Antimicrobial Films
Principal Investigator: N.S. Hettiarachcy,
Ph.D.
Dept. of Food Science
University of Arkansas
2650 N Young Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72704
Phone: (501) 575-4779
Fax: (501) 575-6936
Email: qweldema@comp.uark.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $403,994
Description: This study will attempt to
control and eliminate pathogens in fresh
and lightly processed fruits and vegetables
by using natural edible proteins such as
those from milk whey, soy or wheat. These
films would coat these foods to protect them
against contamination during preparation
and transportation. To further increase the
safety of these foods, the films will have
incorporated into them some natural antibacterial
proteins produced by dairy and meat starter
cultures.
California
Title: Consumer Food Safety and Food Irradiation
Education
Principal Investigator: Christine Bruhn,
Ph.D.
Dept of Food Science & Technology
University of California
One Shields Ave
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 752-2774
Fax: (530) 752-3975
Email: cmbruhn@ucdavis.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 24
Award: $597,626
Description: This project will increase consumer's knowledge of science-based
information on food irradiation and its potential to increase food safety.
A food safety irradiation education team within each state will oversee and
coordinate the program. Increased consumer understanding of the role of irradiation
in reducing foodborne disease may improve consumer acceptance of this technology.
Title: Farm-to-Fork
Food Safety Research for Specialty Poultry
Producers
Principal Investigator: Joan Jeffrey, Ph.D.
University of California
VMTRC - 18830 Road 112
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: (559) 688-1731
Fax: (559) 688-4231
Email: jsjeffrey@vmtrc.ucdavis.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $521,886
Description: The overall goal of this proposal is to extend the farm-to-fork
concepts of food safety to the producers and processors of specialty poultry
products on small to medium-sized farms. The knowledge gained from this research
will be extended to producers and associated processors so that it can be incorporated
into their hazard analysis and critical control point programs for ensuring
food safety.
Title: Determinants of
Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated
from Calves
Principal Investigator: William Sischo,
Ph.D.
University of California
Vet Med Teaching and Research Center
18830 Road 112
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: (559) 688-1731
Fax: (559) 688-4231
Email: bsischo@vmtrc.ucdavis.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $540,000
Description: The goals of this project are
to describe the dynamics of antibiotic resistance
in commensal Escherichia coli isolated
from calves, link the patterns of resistance
to management and environmental attributes,
define the economics of antibiotic use, and
develop educational modules to describe approaches
that minimize the occurrence of antibiotic
resistant bacteria.
Colorado
Title: Minimizing the Risk of Listeria
monocytogenes and Other Pathogens in
Dried Foods
Principal Investigator: John Sofos, Ph.D.
Dept of Animal Science
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 805231171
Phone: (970) 491-7703
Fax: (970) 491-0278
Email: jsofos@ceres.agsci.colostate.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $479,223
Description: This project will develop pre-drying
treatments and drying processes that are
effective in destroying foodborne pathogenic
bacteria, and will evaluate incorporation
of antimicrobials to ensure inhibition of
potential survivors and post-processing contaminants
during product storage.
Georgia
Title: National Center for Home Food Processing
and Preservation
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Andress,
Ph.D.
Extension Foods and Nutrition
University of Georgia
208 Hoke Smith Annex
Athens, GA 30602-4356
Phone: (706) 542-3773
Fax: (706) 542-1979
Email: eandress@uga.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 48
Award: $539,648
Description: The objectives of this project
are to deliver: updated home food preservation
recommendations based on existing literature
and additional laboratory evaluation and
scientific validation; recommendations on
new products of interest to home food preservers;
new recommendations for community cannery
settings; a web-based curriculum on home
food preservation available nationwide; a
national teleconference to update professionals
and volunteers on the Master Food Preserver
Program and updated food preservation findings;
and a video series on food preservation.
Title: Fight BAC!
Interactive Computer Module for Elementary
Age Children
Principal Investigator: Judy Harrison, Ph.D.
Dept of Food Science and Nutrition
University of Georgia
208 Hoke Smith Annex
Athens, GA 30602
Phone: (706) 542-3773
Fax: (706) 542-1979
Email: judyh@arches.uga.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $539,640
Description: This 3- year multi-state project
fulfills the need for computer-based materials
to teach the four principles of safe food
handling included in the Fight BAC!TM Food
Safety Education Campaign to elementary age
children.
Indiana
Title: Novel Methods to Sanitize Fruits
and Vegetables using Chlorine Dioxide Gas
Principal Investigator: Richard Linton,
Ph.D.
Purdue University
1180 Food Science Bldg.
West Lafayette, IN 479071160
Phone: (765) 494-6481
Fax: (765) 494-7953
Email: lintonr@foodsci.purdue.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $427,435
Description: The goal of the project is to determine the efficiency of ClO2
gas on inactivation and inhibition of significant pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms
in apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, lettuce, and mushrooms.
Iowa
Title: Salmonella Monitoring in Swine and
Reduction Immediately Prior to Slaughter
Principal Investigator: Delbert Linn Harris,
Ph.D.
Iowa State University
223 Science I
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-1664
Fax: (515) 294-6019
Email: hharris@iastate.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $600,000
Description: The goals of this project are to provide training for monitoring
and decreasing the levels of Salmonella in U.S. swine farms and to develop
methods for reducing the levels of this human foodborne pathogen by the use
of antibiotic alternatives.
Title:Safety, Quality,
and Sustainability of Small-Farm Production
of Apples and Cider
Principal Investigator:
Cheryll Reitmeier, Ph.D.
Food Sci and Human Nutr Dept
Iowa State University
2312 Food Sciences Bldg.
Ames, IA 50011-1061
Phone: (515) 294-4325
Fax: (515) 294-8181
Email: creitmei@iastate.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $512,061
Description: The goal of this project is
to strengthen the economic viability of apple
growers and cider processors as the quality
and safety of their products are enhanced.
This project takes an integrated approach
to solving the interlocking problems of fresh
apple and cider safety, environmental stewardship,
economics, and federal regulations as they
impact the sustainability of rural apple
producers and rural communities.
Maryland
Title: Salmonella Immunobiology and Intervention
Strategies
Principal Investigator: Robert Anton Heckert,
Ph.D.
Dept. of Vet Medicine
University of Maryland
8075 Greenmead Drive
College Park, MD 207423711
Phone: (301) 935-6083
Fax: (301) 935-6079
Email: rheckert@wam.umd.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $596,408
Description: This goal of this project is
to research on-farm intervention strategies,
including forced molting and other stress
factors, vaccines and immunomodulators, to
provide adequate information for Salmonella
enteritidis (SE) prevention and/or control.
The immunobiology of SE infection will be
investigated and strategies for the intervention
of SE colonization, persistence and shedding
will be developed.
Michigan
Title: Chemiluminescence Detection of Microbial
Contaminants on Fresh Produce
Principal Investigator: Evangelyn Alocilja,
Ph.D.
Michigan State University
204 Farrall Hall
East Lansing, MI 488241323
Phone: (517) 355-0083
Fax: (517) 432-2892
Email: http://www.egr.msu.edu/~alocilja
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $325,284
Description: This research project will
validate the membrane immunoassay chemiluminescence
(MIC) system for the quick detection of E.
coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium on
contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables,
and extend the techniques learned from research
to undergraduate instruction and prototype
development for feasibility testing with
partnering industry. If successful with the
Salmonella and E. coli models, the
system can be adapted for other pathogens
of concern.
Title: Achieving Lethality
Performance Standards for Fully-Cooked Meat
Products
Principal Investigator: Bradley Marks, Ph.D.
Michigan State University
218 Farrall Hall
East Lansing, MI 488241323
Phone: (517) 432-7703
Fax: (517) 432-2892
Email: marksbp@msu.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $ 347,591
Description: The goal of this project is
to develop and distribute fundamental information
and technical tools that are necessary for
the U.S. meat and poultry industry to meet
federal regulations that specify lethality
performance standards for fully-cooked products.
Title: Antibiotic Usage
and Risk Factors for Antimicrobial Resistance
in Pork Production
Principal Investigator: Bo Norby, Ph.D.
Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Michigan State University
A211 Veterinary Medical Center
East Lansing, MI 48824-1314
Phone: (517) 353-5033
Fax: (517) 432-1042
Email: norbybo@cvm.msu.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $345,671
Description:
This 3 year study is designed to determine
an association between the use of antimicrobial
agents in swine production and the presence
of antimicrobial resistance in human foodborne
pathogens isolated from slaughter pigs.
Nebraska
Title: Improving
HACCP Systems for Small Meat and Food Processors
in Four Midwest States
Principal
Investigator: Dennis Burson, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska
A213 Animal Science
P.O. Box 830908
Lincoln, NE 68583-0908
Phone: (402) 472-6457
Fax: (402) 472-6362
Email: dburson1@unl.edu
Project
Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $539,993
Description:
The goal is to increase the knowledge and
skills of small business meat and food
processors to implement and manage HACCP
systems and to increase the available scientific
information on HACCP systems for the reduction
of food-borne hazards through the development
and delivery of HACCP training and education
programs.
New
Mexico
Title: Spanish
Fight BAC Internet and DVD Training for
Home-Based Child Care Providers
Principal
Investigator: B. Jeanne Gleason, Ph.D.
Agricultural Communications
New Mexico State University
Box 30003, Dept 3AI-NMSU
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Phone: (505) 646-5658
Fax: (505) 646-3513
Email: jgleason@nmsu.edu
Project
Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $529,528
Description:
This project will provide high-risk and
under-served Spanish, Navajo and English-speaking
consumers, and professionals serving these
groups, with food safety resources through
the Internet and other forms of electronic
media.
New
York
Title: Reducing
Microbial Hazards in Raw Produce through
Farm Worker Education
Principal
Investigator: Robert Gravani, Ph.D.
Dept. of Food Science
Cornell University
412 Stocking Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: (607) 254-3262
Fax: (607) 254-4868
Email: rbg2@cornell.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $596,627
Description:
Farm and packinghouse workers are important
in the production of safe fruits and vegetables
but they are also a potential source of
contamination. Few, if any programs have
addressed food safety and hygiene issues
with farm workers. The overall objective
of this project is to develop a comprehensive,
yet practical and meaningful, education
and training program for this important
audience.
Title:
Control Strategies for Listeria monocytogenes in
Food Processing Environments
Principal Investigator: Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D.
Dept. of Food Science
Cornell University
412 Stocking Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: (607) 254-2838
Fax: (607) 254-4868
Email: mw16@cornell.edu
Project
Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $534,287
Description: The goal of this project is to develop, evaluate and deliver science-based
outreach programs for improved control strategies in the food industry for
the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. The researchers hypothesize
that improved environmental control strategies and sanitation procedures will
significantly reduce L. monocytogenes contamination of ready to eat
(RTE) food products.
North
Carolina
Title: Development of a Multi-Level Food Safety
Education Program for the Retail Food Industry
Principal
Investigator: Angela Fraser, Ph.D.
Dept of Family and Consumer Sciences
North Carolina State University
Box 7605
Raleigh, NC 27695-7605
Phone: (919) 515-9150
Fax: (919) 515-2786
Email: angela_fraser@ncsu.edu
Project
Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $434,378
Description:
The goal of this project is to develop
and evaluate a multi-level, food safety
education program targeting the retail
food industry within Georgia, North Carolina,
and South Carolina.
Title: Fresh Produce
Food Safety Training Program for the Southeast
Principal Investigator: Douglas Sanders, Ph.D.
North Carolina State University
230 Kilgore Hall
Box 7609
Raleigh, NC 27695
Phone: (919) 515-1222
Fax: (919) 515-2050
Email: doug_sanders@ncsu.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 24
Award: $539,512
Description: Produce handlers will acquire the knowledge and skills to establish
effective HACCP- type programs in their facilities. An Interagency Food Safety
Team will be formed in all the states of the region in order to be prepared
to provide accurate information to the news media and family physicians in
the event of an outbreak of foodborne illness.
Ohio
Title: Antimicrobial Drug Use and the Development
of Resistant Enteric Bacteria in Dairy Cattle
Principal Investigator: Thomas Wittum, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University
1900 Coffey Road
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-1206
Fax: (614) 292-4142
Email: wittum.1@osu.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $538,350
Description: The objectives of this study
are to 1) Determine the effect of antimicrobial treatment on the development
of resistance in bacteria present in dairy cattle, 2) Develop and apply prudent
antimicrobial-use guidelines specific for dairy cattle, and 3) Disseminate
these guidelines to dairy producers and their veterinarians. It is expected
that scientifically- based interventions will be obtained and disseminated
for use by veterinarians and dairy producers to address important issues
of public health concern which pose a threat to their future livelihood.
Title: Factors Affecting
the Emergence of Quinolone-Resistant Campylobacter in Poultry
Principal Investigator: Qijing Zhang, Ph.D.
Food Animal Health Research Program
The Ohio State University
OARDC/The Ohio State University
Wooster, OH 44691
Phone: (330) 263-3747
Fax: (330) 263-3677
Email: zhang.234@osu.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $567,232
Description: The main goal of this project is to use an integrated approach
to study quinolone-resistant campylobacters in the poultry reservoir and to
establish an education and extension program on antibiotic resistance.
Rhode Island
Title: Using Good Agricultural Practices to
Integrate Food Safety Principles into Small Farm Production
Principal Investigator:
Lori Pivarnik, Ph.D.
Food Science and Nutrition Dept.
University of Rhode Island
530 Liberty Lane
West Kingston, RI 02892
Phone: (401) 874-2972
Fax: (401) 874-2994
Email: mendillo@uriacc.uri.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $472,926
Description: Fresh produce does not undergo
a cooking or "kill" step that would destroy disease-causing bacteria
and viruses so prevention practices must be incorporated into day-to-day
on-farm practices. The goal of this project will be to use the good agricultural
practice (GAP) guidelines developed by the FDA and USDA as the basis of a
comprehensive educational and applied research program directed at the small
farms in the six-state region.
South Carolina
Title: Adhesin-Specific Nanoparticles for
Removal of Campylobacter jejuni from Poultry
Principal Investigator: Robert Latour, Ph.D.
Dept. of Bioengineering
Clemson University
501 Rhodes, Box 340905
Clemson, SC 29634-0905
Phone: (864) 656-5552
Fax: (864) 656-4466
Email: Irisour@clemson.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $539,744
Description: The overall goal of this program is to develop and evaluate a
novel, farm-based strategy for the removal of campylobacters from poultry intestinal
tracts prior to processing. This strategy will employ bioactive nanoparticles
specifically designed to bind to the biomolecular structures on the surfaces
of campylobacters.
Virginia
Title: Development of Model Scombrotoxin Control
Procedures for Commercial Atlantic Fish Species
Principal Investigator: George Flick, Ph.D.
Food Science and Technology Dept.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0418
Phone: (540) 231-6805
Fax: (540) 231-9293
Email: flickg@vt.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $404,015
Description: Five major commercial and sport fish species will be studied to
define: the greatest hazard(s) for food poisoning from harvest through retailing
by measuring histamine formation in various fish tissues; the effects of temperature
and specific bacteria species on toxin formation; and determining how the toxin
hazard can be minimized or eliminated through the development of new HACCP
models and associated sanitary control procedures.
Title: Internalization
of E. coli in Apples under Field and Laboratory Conditions
Principal Investigator: Merle Pierson, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Food Science and Technology Bldg.
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: (540) 231-5281
Fax: (540) 231-2923
Email: piersonm@vt.edu
Project Start Date: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 24
Award: $342,601
Description: This project will provide a scientific basis for determining if,
how, and when there is internalization of apples by human pathogens such as Escherichia
coli O157:H7. The techniques that are developed in this study can be used
for the examination of similar phenomena in other fruits and vegetables. Results
from this project will provide valuable information to develop effective control
procedures in apple production, harvesting, storage, and utilization.
Wisconsin
Title: Inhibition of L. monocytogenes Biofilms
by Plasma-Deposited Antibacterial Layers
Principal Investigator: Amy Lee Wong, Ph.D.
Dept. of Food Micro. & Toxicology
University of Wisconsin
Food Research Institute
Madison, WI 53706-1187
Phone: (608) 263-1168
Fax: (608) 263-1114
Email: acwong@facstaff.wisc.edu
Description: 10/1/00
Duration in Months: 36
Award: $285,491
Description: The overall goal of this project
is to use plasma-aided technologies to develop antibacterial surfaces that
inhibit biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes. Results generated from
this study will enhance our ability to control L. monocytogenes and
decrease the potential for contamination and illness caused by this pathogen.
Back to Food Safety & Biosecurity Home Page |
