43-6 |
DIVISION LECTURE: The role of food microbiologists in the development of public health policy |
R. L. BUCHANAN, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 200 C St. S.W., HFS-006, Washington, DC 20204 Food holds a unique place in the psyche of human populations. It is intimately associated with how people define themselves as individuals, as family members, as members of geographical and cultural regions and as citizens of nations. Thus, it is not surprising that almost any positive or negative attribute associated with food receives a disproportionate amount of public attention. Furthermore, the complex nature of most food safety or nutrition issues virtually assures that there will be diverse opinions both scientifically and philosophically. The past 50 years has seen the emergence of food safety microbiology as a unique specialty within food science as a vast body of knowledge has been acquired concerning foods, the people that eat the foods, and the microbial hazards that on occasion may be occur in the food supply. However, knowledge is generally not sufficient by itself to improve the human condition. Instead, major improvements have been typically realized through the implementation of food safety policies or programs. The development of such policies require the integration of three broad components, science, public policy, and law, each playing a separate critical role. Just as engineers are needed to convert the laws of physics into useful technologies, so are public policy and food law specialists needed to take scientific knowledge and transform it into practical food safety programs that are consistent with national and international precedents, procedures, and practices. However, sound science must be at the heart of microbial food safety policy. This requires that there is a cadre of food scientists who are familiar with food law and public health policies and who can integrate and communicate to non-scientists, the principles associated with multiple scientific disciplines. There is a critical need for such scientists to participate in the development of food safety policies. Both government and professional organizations are recognizing this need, and are increasingly making opportunities available for scientists to gain the experiences needed to participate effectively in the development of food safety policies and programs.
Session 43, Food Microbiology: Food mycology
|