Tests for foodborne pathogens in which a culture is not grown in a lab may be necessary for produce companies, but they can’t replace traditional culture tests, industry leaders and government officials say.
Nonculture diagnostic tests have been around since the early 1980s, said David Gombas, senior vice president of food safety and technology for the Washington D.C.-based United Fresh Produce Association.
But there has been a recent push, Gombas said, to use them to replace culture tests that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies and organizations rely on to accurately diagnose cases of salmonella, E. coli and other foodborne illnesses.
That trend was highlighted in a recent article in Scientific America magazine, which found that many clinics and state-run labs are turning to nonculture tests, which are faster than culture tests.
They’re faster, but are they better?
“Right now, the answer is no,” Gombas said. “CDC, FDA, and those in the produce industry I talk to — they want a live bug.”
FoodWorld 