Uses of biotechnology and technology transfer to keep food safe.

The era of biology is composed of 1) the definition of molecular laws of biology, 2) the exponential expansion of the data base, and 3) the establishment of the first generation molecular and cellular tool kit; this era is driving the development and commercialization of biotechnological products and processes for agriculture and the food system. These products and processes should have a major impact in maintaining and improving food safety. Several meeting and organizational initiatives on biotechnology and food safety are summarized. Possible roles of biotechnology in areas of food safety involve microbial contaminants, nutritional quality, natural antimetabolites, allergens, toxicants, and synthetic chemical residues. Biotechnology will have an impact on all these areas through both improved ability to measure as well as to modify microbes, animals, and plants used as food. Diagnostics for microbial contaminants and biobased alternatives to synthetic chemicals are most advanced. However, all these biotechnological products and processes for food safety are in very early stages of development and commercialization.