129th AOAC Annual Meeting & Exposition Preliminary Program

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Analytical Methods to Verify Food Safety and Integrity: Needs and Challenges MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Richard H. Stadler, Ph.D., NQAC Group Expert , Nestec SA, Nestlé Vevey, Switzerland

Today, in general, the food that we consume is considered safer than ever, and a clearly non-negotiable requirement that all food business operators must adhere to, independent of their size or scale of manufacture, is the production and marketing of safe food. However, we still face major challenges in food safety, and are frequently confronted with food safety scares and crises, increasingly impacting food chains at a global scale. Food safety and integrity is not only “designed in” during the manufacture of food. All individual steps across the value chain in the farm-to-fork continuum need attention, specifically upstream at the agricultural level to the farm. Here, we face a multitude of challenges, starting with the need of rapid and fit- for-purpose detection methods that will allow control and verification of safety procedures. From a microbiological perspective, next-generation DNA sequencing tools to identify pathogens by complete genome sequencing is now being applied as part of the food safety microbiologist toolkit. Rapid detection methods, based on ELISA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology are now widely available, alleviating the prolonged culturing of microorganisms and providing a response in real-time. Similar technological advances are also visible in the chemical testing arena; in the case of chemical contaminants and adulterants the substances are not always known upfront. The analytical techniques and approaches used must encompass both targeted (e.g. PCR) and non-targeted methods (e.g. FT-IR, NMR), keeping pace with continuously evolving fraudulent practices.

Having developed an appropriately sensitive and performant analytical method is a first step; the next (and by far more challenging) is to get agreement on the use of a common method, i.e. standardization and alignment across all stakeholders. Multiple examples can be highlighted that illustrate current gaps and weaknesses, where issues of non- compliance and/or food destruction may have been avoided. In this context, the key priorities from a methods requirement point of view can be summarized as follows: • Understand the vulnerabilities of raw materials to economic adulteration and food safety risks, e.g. establish a risk based strategy for control • Standardization and harmonization • Ensuring fit for purpose and globally aligned methods to support regulatory compliance (example SPIFAN program and initiatives) • Rapid and cost effective methods for food safety and fraud detection • Common platforms (recognized at global level) and tools for sharing information Addressing these priorities at a global level will contribute to a safer food supply and lead to a lower risk of non- compliance. Where currently work is being done, this needs to be accelerated, through for example partnerships in funding value added scientific programs, aimed towards strengthening food safety, compliance and integrity across the whole value chain. of untargeted methods to detect contaminants and adulterants

ABOUT DR. STADLER Richard H. Stadler, Ph.D. attained a Ph.D. in 1989 from the University of Munich in Germany (pharmaceutical faculty). After a 2 year post doc at the same University, he joined the Chemical Toxicology Group at the Nestlé Research Centre (NRC) in Lausanne in 1992. In 1996, he transfered to the Nestlé Quality Assurance Centre (NQAC) in Singapore as Senior Quality Technologist. Stadler returned to the NRC in 1998 to Head the Biomarkers and Contaminants Group. In 2004, he was appointed Head of Quality Manage- ment of the Product Technology Centre in Orbe, Switzerland. Stadler has published more than 100 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, and on the editorial board of several scientific journals. Stadler is currently in Corporate Quality Management supporting Operations in Chemical Food Safety.

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September 27–30, 2015 |  Westin Bonaventure Hotel |  Los Angeles, California