Pizza and Pathogens

Down the Production Line

Brought to you by the Auburn University Center for Detection and Food Safety.

Lesson No. 3

Tomato Sauce to Pizza

Farm Factory

Grocery

StorePlate

Contamination Can Be Anywhere

You get the point…

More masks = Less Germs!

#washthose#dirtyhands

Foods Causing New Outbreaks

• Bagged Spinach (E. coli O157:H7)• Peanut Butter (Salmonella)• Puffed Rice & Corn Snacks (Salmonella)• White & Black Ground Pepper (Salmonella)• Dried Dog Food (Salmonella)• Jalapeno Peppers (Salmonella)• Frozen Pizza (E. coli O157:H7)• Pot Pies (Salmonella)• Cookie Dough (E. coli O157:H7)

Costs of Foodborne Illness• All foodborne pathogens cost $77.7 billion

annually• Most of that comes from only 5 pathogens!

Top 5 Pathogens in Food Annual Cost

nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica $ 3.3 billion

Campylobacter spp. $ 1.7 billion

Listeria monocytogenes $2.6 billion

Toxoplasma gondii $3 billion

Norovirus $ 2 billiion

How do we find the pathogens?

• Biosensors– Tiny, nano-scale– Think of the smallest size you can,

and it’s probably smaller

• Microbiology Testing– Use microscopes and lab test to

look for pathogen growth– They have to wait and see if it

grows because pathogens are so tiny

Look Inside: Libbey’s Pumpkin Factory

Where do we go next?