Food Manufacturing

IAFP John. H. Silliker Lecture featuring Dr. Peter Ben Embarek

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Each year, we get excited about the opportunity to honor our founder, Dr. John H Silliker, through the sponsorship of The John H. Silliker Lecture as part of the annual IAFP program. The annual lecture was established by Mérieux NutriSciences in 2004 to recognize the achievements of Dr. Silliker through the practical application of scientific principles to improve food protection. The John H. Silliker Lecture provides an avenue for recognized experts to present important and timely information on topics of significance to food protection. We could not ask for a better venue than the IAFP Annual Meeting to honor Dr. Silliker’s legacy of 50 years of protecting consumers’ health.

The 2020 chosen lecturer is Dr. Peter Ben Embarek with the World Health Organization. Read on to hear from Dr. Embarek to hear about his presentation at this year’s annual IAFP meeting.  Continue Reading

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Biology Clinical

Have a Health-Related Goal? Coaches Are Not Just for Sports

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A meal plan indicating everything you should eat and drink seems like the perfect roadmap to achieve a goal weight. However, if this were the case, wouldn’t weight loss be easy? Not exactly. My first job as a registered dietitian was counseling members of a health club, and I quickly learned that there is much more to achieving diet-related goals than just providing education.
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Biology

Mérieux NutriSciences’ Scientist Spotlight: Meet Oliver Chen

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Mérieux NutriSciences and Biofortis are excited to welcome our new Principal Scientist, Oliver Chen, PhD, formerly the Interim Director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University. Oliver is a great addition to our science team, assisting our research sponsors with their clinical nutrition projects. We sat down with Oliver for a quick Q&A to pick his brain on some important topics in the industry.
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GMOs

Don’t Get Caught In a Non-GMO Shell Game

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My previous post, “How Reliable is Your Supplier’s Non-GMO ‘Verified’ Claim?” raised the question of whether incorrect, unsubstantiated or fraudulent non-Genetically Modified Organism (non-GMO) claims would result in a recall, FDA warning or some other sanction. The answer is found in a greater discussion about accountability and liability within the food industry.

With summer fast approaching, let’s think of this in terms of a carnival metaphor. There’s potential for food manufacturers to get caught up in a non-GMO verification “shell game.” You might know the classic shell game, in which a pea is placed underneath three shells and then they are shuffled around to confuse the player. At the end, the player needs to guess which shell the pea is under. As you monitor your supply chain, “verified” non-GMO certificates from suppliers may be shuffled around in your supply chain and you may lose sight of the “pea,” or an ingredient that is not up to specification. Come one, come all – step on up and find the hot sample. Continue Reading

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Biology

Mérieux NutriSciences’ Scientist Spotlight: Dr. Angela Nguyen on Molecular Services

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Here at Mérieux NutriSciences, our team of expert scientists upholds our mission of protecting consumers’ health through their daily work. Dr. Angela Nguyen joined our team this year to lead our molecular services laboratory, which covers our suite of services, including foodborne virus testing, Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), Vitek MS, Sanger Sequencing and Riboprinter Platform with bionumerics software. I recently met with Dr. Nguyen to learn more about her background, coming from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and where she sees the future of molecular biology headed within the food industry. Continue Reading

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Biology

Ask the Experts: Microbial Identification Testing Updates

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Microbial identification and organism typing provide the food industry with a way to identify organisms and sub-species of those organisms. Laboratories specializing in this type of testing offer food companies a way to determine which harmful organisms may be present in their production plant ecology, as well as a particular ingredient or product that is out of specification. Additionally, this testing provides a way to confirm the presence of beneficial organisms in a product. Continue Reading

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Biology

Mérieux NutriSciences’ Scientist Spotlight: Meet Dr. Amy Parks

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Our expert scientists are at the heart of everything we do at Mérieux NutriSciences, and they work hard every day to uphold our mission to protect consumers’ health. With that in mind, I recently interviewed Dr. Amy Parks, the Research Project Manager for Specialized Services at the Silliker Food Science Center (FSC), to learn about her background and expertise. She told me about her experience in the food industry, her role at Mérieux NutriSciences and why she enjoys working to ensure food safety and quality. Read on to learn more about Dr. Parks: Continue Reading

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Food Manufacturing

Regulatory Round-Up: Luck Favors The Prepared Under Evolving FDA Recall Policies

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A recall is a potential source of anxiety for any food manufacturer, but, if conducted effectively, recalls can be an invaluable tool for protecting a company’s reputation, brand image and sales. However, a recent government study has identified deficiencies in the food recall processes of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has prompted the agency to propose new policies for improving the oversight, communication and implementation of its recall process.   Continue Reading

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