Conflicting Food Messages May Put Consumers At Risk

Newswise — International travel and the global food trade are driving the spread of pathogens resistant to control according to food safety experts assembled here this week. Yet as some bacteria become more difficult to eliminate from food and health concern, American consumers may be putting themselves at risk by the food choices they make.

Speaking at the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting + Food Expo, food safety expert Dean Cliver of the University of California at Davis complained about the disconnect between public perception and the reality of food processing.

"After we organize our safety efforts in more elegant ways, we're still back to the idea that processing is important," he said, "[But] the consuming public is being told that totally unprocessed foods are doing them good."

IFT's new expert report on antimicrobial resistance identifies consumer demand for less-processed foods as a possible source of the increased occurrence in resistant bacteria. It is the result of fewer antimicrobial applications to food that inactivate pathogens during processing, according to the study.

"The perception is that raw food is 'natural' and any preservation inevitably diminishes nutritional value," said Cliver. "Now, without cooking, things that were not a problem before are turning up."

Cliver places at least part of the blame on food manufacturers.

"[The claim that] 'Raw is natural' has triggered a backlash against food technology" he said, "'Raw is natural' is trendy enough so that some of the big companies have gotten on the bandwagon."

Now in its 66th year, IFT Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO® is the world's single largest annual scientific meeting and technical exposition of its kind. The convention runs through Wednesday.

Founded in 1939, and with world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Institute of Food Technologists is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues. For more on IFT, see http://www.ift.org.