Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Institute for Food Safety presented a two-day workshop on microbial detection techniques at the College’s Advanced Technology Center on June 5 and June 8.

Participants, who included employee teams from a number of area food manufacturers with diverse product lines (including beef, nut products and seafood), applied both classical laboratory techniques and cutting edge technology that is used to test food environments for the presence of potentially harmful microbes.

Advanced techniques that allow for rapid detection and analysis were a highlight of the workshop. Participants gained hands-on experience with these techniques, which allow food manufacturers and retailers to work confidently with real-time data that can confirm work environments are sanitary. They also facilitate a rapid response if an issue is detected, increasing the safety of our food supply and reducing the time and resources required to address any problems.

Dr. Haley Oliver, an internationally recognized expert in food safety from Purdue University, facilitated the workshop along with FSCJ Professor Dr. David Beall and laboratory manager Chris Bush. FSCJ's Institute for Food Safety, established through the support of Mr. Harry Frisch of Beaver Street Fisheries, serves local food manufactures and food retailers as a resource for information and training programs that address evolving standards and practices in food safety.

For more information about the Institute for Food Safety and its emerging programs, please contact Dr. John Wall, jjwall@fscj.edu.