Neogen Applauds President's Food
Safety Message
11:15 a.m. Jan 28, 1997 EST
LANSING, Mich., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/--
Neogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NEOG) officials
today applauded the stepped-up federal efforts
announced Saturday by President Clinton to better
insure the safety of the American food supply.
Neogen Corporation markets more food safety
tests than any other firm on a worldwide basis.
"The current stepped-up efforts to improve the
safety of the U.S. food supply are not adversarial
between the food industry and federal regulators,"
said James Herbert, Neogen president. Herbert
went on to say that the more responsible food
processors stepped-up their efforts to test food for
possible contaminants months ago. "No company
wants to put their name on a food product and
have their customer become ill," he said.
The principal concerns of food safety relate to the
possible contamination of foodborne bacteria,
natural toxins, drug residues, or pesticide residues.
In recent years, breakthroughs in the sciences of
biotechnology have made it possible to develop
rapid and easy to use diagnostic tests that allow
food processors to check for the presence of these
potential adulterants. "Unfortunately, federal
regulators have been slow to accept the validity of
these new products in many cases," said Herbert.
The President proposed expanding "early warning"
systems to track foodborne illnesses. The new
scientifically superior diagnostic tests
manufactured by such companies as Neogen
greatly enhance this capability.
As an example, Herbert cited Neogen's new
diagnostic test kits to detect the presence of the
deadly E. coli O157:H7 that has been found
recently in both hamburger and apple juice. "The
traditional test for detection of this organism
required 72 hours or more. This meant that if a
processor tested for the organism, it was likely
that fresh product had already reached the
consumer before results of the test were known.
The new 8-hour E. coli test from Neogen allows
the processor to sample product and complete
testing within one work shift. Product can actually
be held in quarantine until it has been found to be
safe," Herbert said.
Neogen markets over 140 diagnostic tests for food
safety. Herbert indicated that industry use of these
tests is rapidly increasing, citing that the
company's sales to the meat and poultry industry
have increased 200% compared to prior year.
Herbert stated that industry would make more
widespread use of the new rapid tests if federal
regulatory agencies would cut through the red tape
and allow industry to use these tests on an official
basis.
"In some cases these rapid tests have been
approved by valid scientific organizations, yet
government administrators are reluctant to allow
industry to implement the new faster and less
expensive testing methods," said Herbert.
For example, the seafood industry cooperated with
the Food and Drug Administration in the
establishment of a new system for seafood
inspection, and the final rule governing those
regulations was published in December 1995.
However, the program is not scheduled for
implementation until December 1997.
"The President's Saturday message is important to
consumers and food processors alike," said
Herbert. "Not only would his proposal provide
necessary funds for coordination and
implementation of new food safety measures, but
it should also send a message to federal regulatory
officials to get serious about implementation of
new testing technologies," he said.
Neogen Corporation is a Lansing, Michigan based
company that develops and markets products to
control residues and improve quality in the food,
agriculture, and pharmacologic and environmental
industries. SOURCE Neogen Corporation
Copyright 1997, PR Newswire |
