As interest in more natural products continues to grow, bacteriophages (phages) — basically viruses that kill bacteria — have become particularly appealing.

Recently, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a white paper titled: “Current and Future Development and Use of Molecular Subtyping by USDA-FSIS.”

Biopreservation encompasses a number of food-preservation strategies, ranging from ancient methods such as fermentation to modern technologies including bacteriocins and bacteriophages.

At the end of 2013, Consumer Reports made national headlines by reporting that 97 percent of retail chicken breasts were contaminated with some form of gut bacteria.

In October 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft risk assessment on the levels of contaminants in spices.

During a conversation with one of our suppliers of boneless beef last week I was asked whether we used “love” in any of our burgers.

Across the industry, many of the basic slaughter processes and techniques have remained the same.

I spent some time in my last two columns dissecting recent trends involving recalls for E. coli O157:H7 and allergens.

Antimicrobial solutions are used to reduce contaminants on raw foods such as meats, vegetables and fruits.

Thermal treatments are critical in controlling foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.