Safeguarding Australia's fresh food industry

The University of Sydney has launched a specialist training hub that will train the next generation of industry-ready food safety researchers and develop methods to safeguard Australia’s fresh food and agricultural industries.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry consists of a multidisciplinary team of academics with research areas spanning genome editing, water management, horticulture, pathogen detection and food safety.

“Working with a multidisciplinary team and a range of industry partners, the centre will be working towards improving commercial food safety practices, whilst minimising and preventing food safety risks such as human pathogen outbreaks,” said Centre Director and Professor of Horticulture Robyn McConchie. “As our population grows and our country’s role as a global food producer increases, futureproofing our food supply and competitiveness through scientific and engineering advancements is a welcome move.”

Dr Kim-Yen Phan-Thien from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences will take on the role of Director with the support of McConchie, drawing on her experience in the systematic analysis and optimisation of food safety and quality.

Research into food safety culture aims to identify strategies to promote organisational cultures that prioritise food safety beyond regulatory compliance, even in the absence of an outbreak. She explained food safety culture influences how people interpret and implement policies and procedures as well as what individuals prioritise, which has a major impact on food safety.

“The development of robust methods to analyse food safety culture and to validate this against processing and safety indicators is a big challenge, but it’s also what makes this work exciting. It will require bringing together rigorous analytical approaches from the fields of both natural and social sciences, and business, as well as close collaboration with our industry partners,” Phan-Thien said. “Food safety in the Australian fresh produce industry is regulated predominantly by private standards. However, there’s a strong and growing interest in how we can get past a ‘compliance culture’ of box-ticking to instead develop a culture of food safety at all levels of a business.”

Researchers play an important part in developing safety practices and maintaining integrity within Australia’s agricultural and food-production industry, according to University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence.

“Maintaining food safety in our supply chains is crucial for the future of Australia and our region. The new training centre is a tremendous opportunity for the university and our researchers to work and learn from real-world professionals who are already grappling with these issues,” he said.

Climate change, shifts in dietary behaviour and growing populations are impacting the way food is cultivated and distributed. CSIRO Agriculture and Food Deputy Director Professor Martin Cole said: “To build resilience it’s essential we invest in the technology, science and practices which allow us to innovate all levels of supply chains, to decrease risks of foodborne diseases, strengthen our future food supply and promote Australia’s economic growth within this industry.”

Professor Brian Jones from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences agreed, and suggested that genome editing can help futureproof food supply. He suggested it is possible to enhance natural plant resistance to pathogens using CRISPR to make very small changes to the existing crop genome. “Plants already have innate immunity to pathogens and other stressors. We are able to bolster plant performance by making small, targeted changes to their genetic make-up.”

The ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry is funded by the Australian Government and industry partners, and is administered by the University of Sydney.

Image credit: ©epitavi/Dollar Photo Club