Dr. John Donaghy delivered the keynote on the opening day of the 2024 European Food Sure Summit. He looked at how old pathogens are presenting in new places, why this is happening and how new analytics technology is helping to find them. 

Donaghy began by highlighting the continued prevalence of old pathogens, e.g. salmonella, listeria monocytogenes, E.Coli, norovirus etc., recognising that change over the last 50+ years has not been whether these pathogens still exist, but rather where they exist.

The reasons for this are two fold:

1. New technologies have brought with them a new era of microbiological analytics, allowing us to identify and track the source of a pathogen found in an unexpected home.
2. New product development has led to a shift to plant-based alternatives for dairy, meat and fish products, as well as an increase in protein-rich foods, creating new environments in which pathogens can live.

Donaghy shared several examples of where well-known pathogens have been found in unforeseen food items, including but not limited to salmonella from houmous, tahini, and potato chips, E.coli in leafy greens (a major issue in the US), and Hep A in frozen berries. 

For new products like almond or rice milk, challenges are likely to arise about dissolution and storage - does rice powder dissolve in the same way as milk powder? What temperature and duration can these products be stored at? 

Donaghy closed by underlining the instrumental role Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) now plays in understanding how these pathogens have ended up in the problem food/drink item. This technology is revolutionising pathogen source tracking and should be embraced by everyone across the food industry: if you're not doing WGS, someone else will be!