News headlines often paint E. coli as a vicious bacterium, capable of causing disease and death to those unfortunate enough to ingest it. But that is only a tiny minority of E. coli, and a very small part of the story of this remarkable bacterium; its relationship to human health and the food we eat is much more complex. Not all E. coli are bad - in fact most are not - and some are even beneficial. On September 1st 2011, the American Academy of Microbiology convened an expert panel of microbiologists, food safety experts, and bacteriologists to develop a more accurate picture of this often maligned bacterium. This report, the product of that meeting, tells the larger story of E. coli: its role in human health, in food, and even in our understanding of our own biology.

“Global Food Safety: Keeping Food Safe from Farm to Table,” is based on a colloquium convened by the Academy in 2009. This report reviews the current state of affairs in microbiological food safety around the world. It is extremely challenging to know how many people are made sick by food, which foods are at fault, which pathogens are most widespread or dangerous, and where those pathogens entered the food production system. In such a situation, where should research, prevention and education efforts be directed? In this report, each step in our complicated food production and supply system is described, highlighting key points of vulnerability, and making it clear that providing safe food is a shared responsibility.

Prepared by Michael Doyle, Lee-Ann Jaykus, and Matthew Metz.

Details the ever-present threats to the food supply posed by disease, spoilage, and the specter of agro-terrorism, along with how the commitment to research in food and agricultural microbiology is on the decline.

Prepared by Eugene Nester, Ph.D., Linda S. Thomashow, Ph.D., Matthew Metz, Ph.D., and Milton Gordon, Ph.D.

Presents the case of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its use in agriculture. Compares genetic modification of crops to alternatives and addresses the current controversy, positive outcomes, and potential risks associated with transgenic plants. Makes specific recommendations for future research, evaluation and environmental monitoring, scientific coordination, and public education.

Prepared by Richard E. Isaacson, Ph.D., and Mary E. Torrence, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Addresses the complicated questions around the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Examines the current state of research on origins and reservoirs of resistance, transfer of resistance,and modulating resistance by altering usage. Makes recommendations for surveillance, risk assessment, prudent use guidelines, management and production practices, and education.

Prepared by Stephanie Doores, Ph.D.

Analyzes new challenges affecting the safety of the food supply in the United States, charts directions for future research, and offers specific recommendations. Discusses factors that influence the incidence of foodborne disease, sampling and surveillance, risk assessment, and the food safety community.

{audio}http://www.asm.org/academy/wimpy/wimpy_button.swf?theFile=http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/071029-071123/MW071105.mp3{/audio}
A new food-borne pathogen? Canadian scientists have discovered the presence of a potentially troublesome microbe usually found in hospitals on 18% of meat samples they tested from various grocers. Air Date: 11/05/2007.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/071029-071123/MW071102{/audio}
Wine waste and E. coli. California growers who use grape pomace to supplement their fields may be increasing E. coli related outbreaks. Air Date: 11/02/2007.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/071029-071123/MW071101.mp3{/audio}
H. pylori survival on spinach. One graduate student tested spinach to see if this ulcer-causing microbe can survive on produce. Air Date: 11/01/2007.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070806-070831/070831.mp3{/audio}
Spinach, swine, and E. coli. Researchers at the California Department of Health Services took hundreds of samples to locate the source of the 2006 E. coli outbreak.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070806-070831/070822.mp3{/audio}
Sanitizing against E. coli. There are several effective products on the market that consumers can use to wash bacteria from fresh produce.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070806-070831/070817.mp3{/audio}
Enterococci and fast food. One researcher believes immuno-compromised people might be at risk of infection from bacteria at fast food restaurants.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070806-070831/070806.mp3{/audio}
Irradiated beef. Researchers say irradiating beef can remove pathogenic microbes with no adverse impact on taste.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070416-070511/070503.mp3{/audio}
Culinary microbes take the spotlight. Scientists have sequenced the genomes of 11 bacteria used for food fermentation to take greater advantage of their capabilities.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070416-070511/070430.mp3{/audio}
Antimicrobial food coatings. Researchers have learned that adding oregano oil to an edible film, that can be used to wrap food such as sushi, can prevent E. coli from growing.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070319-070413/070409.mp3{/audio}
Milk: It does a body good. New scientific evidence suggests that milk’s benefits are more than nutritional; the lipids it contains may prevent mastitis infections in nursing women.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070219-070316/070223.mp3{/audio}
Good bug, bad bug. The harmful effects of the E. coli commonly found in ground beef may be moderated by a harmless strain of the same microbe.

{audio}http://www.flpradio.com/microbeworld/audio/070122-070216/070214.mp3{/audio}
Chocolate for Valentine's Day. Without bacteria and fermentation, chocolate would just be a bitter-tasting bean.