How Mérieux NutriSciences is busting food safety threats

Responding to the growth in the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) market, Mérieux NutriSciences recently bought​ the food testing business of TIC company Bureau Veritas. This means that the company will have operations in 32 countries and its revenue will be expanded to $1bn.

As consumer demand for food safety increases, the food safety multinational aims to respond to the changing threats to the safety of food, from those of novel foods such as cultivated meat to the continuous presence of foodborne bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli. 

We spoke to Mérieux NutriSciences CEO Nicolas Cartier about how the company is responding to threats new and old in the world of food safety.

What are the emerging threats to food safety?​Mérieux NutriSciences is itself a key player in the TIC sector, which is expanding rapidly. “The TIC market is experiencing steady growth of around 5% annually, largely driven by rising consumer demand for food safety and quality, heightened stringency in regulations, sustainability and traceability of the food supply chain, and innovation in food technology,” Cartier says.

What are some of the emerging threats to food safety? Sustainability efforts could be one, according to Cartier. While we tend to think of sustainability as a positive, there are potentially downsides when it comes to food safety.

According to Cartier, the current trends towards using fewer preservatives in food, as well as cutting down on plastic packaging, both pose a threat to food safety, as these things are there in the first place to ensure that food lasts. Manufacturers must, he told us, find a way of balancing the twin concerns for the planet and for human health.

Climate change is also related to the modification of diseases and pest patterns in agri fields, he says, and is linked to higher contamination by pesticides residue, mycotoxins and heavy metals.

“This obliges food companies to have a higher traceability of the raw materials used and deeper risk assessment considering geographical origin, soil health, agricultural practices, travel and storage conditions of agri products.”

Alongside these issues, the rising prevalence of mineral oils, PFAS (forever chemicals)​ and microplastics​ being present in food poses a concern. These contaminants, according to Cartier, are both highly prevalent and have the potential to lead to negative health effects.

Dangers to food safety can come from a variety of places. Image Source: Getty Images/Shana NovakAre novel foods posing a threat to food safety?​Novel foods pose a risk because they are by definition new, and as such regulators need to find out more about them before guaranteeing that they’re safe to eat. Take cultivated meat, for example. It is not yet commercially available in most of the world precisely because of the need to ensure that it is safe to eat first means that it must conform to often stringent novel food regulations. 

“Since these products come from new sources and are produced through new manufacturing processes, it is crucial to thoroughly assess their safety, including potential risks related to contamination, allergens, and new production processes,” Cartier says.

“Some other stakeholders and international organizations we contribute to are discussing analytical standards for these new food categories and methods to evaluate their environmental impacts and benefits.”

How prevalent are foodborne bacteria as a threat to food safety?​However, bacterial contamination from pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria is still the biggest threat to food safety. Recent research by Mérieux NutriSciences shows that the bacteria are still highly prevalent in food.

“While significant progress has been made in detection and prevention, these bacteria continue to pose a risk due to their ability to contaminate food at multiple points in the supply chain through raw materials or production environment. Ongoing monitoring, pathogens mapping and rapid testing are essential to prevent outbreaks,” Cartier says.

How does Mérieux NutriSciences aim to respond to these challenges?​Mérieux NutriSciences is a food safety company which offers a combination of consultation and training, auditing, research and practical testing to help companies maintain food safety. As food safety concerns evolve, so does its response to them.

“Over the past two decades, food testing has evolved dramatically,” said Cartier. For example, he told us, molecular biology allows the company to deliver test results more quickly and precisely than previously. The company’s techniques, Cartier told us, have also evolved to be more sensitive and thus better able to detect contaminants.

Technology to test food is getting better. Image Source: Getty Images/lensmenAlongside this, the integration of digital technology and AI into food safety is changing the way food safety insights are developed. “The vast amounts of data we collect allows us to provide actionable insights that enhance food safety and quality.”

For example, the company’s partnership with bioMérieux, a sister company which focuses on biotechnology, created a third-party platform focused on supplier risk. This platform consolidates data from certifications, audits and testing programmes across multiple companies, alongside publicly available data. This aims to allow companies to predict, identify and mitigate food safety risks more effectively.

The company also has extensive experience in assessing the safety of new biosourced or recycled packaging. For example, NIAS screening detects non-intentionally added substances which may have been introduced during recycling, and also evaluates the effectiveness of a decontamination process.

Furthermore, functional barrier assessments in mono- or multi-layer packaging and sensory analyses can be undertaken, in order to make sure that new or recycled materials neither put the consumer in danger, nor affect the taste of the product.

“Last but not least, we evaluate the sustainability of packaging through specific studies such as environmental footprinting, biodegradability or composability tests, as well as recyclability projects based on lab simulation of paper recycling in a typical paper mill or consultancies on plastic packaging. Progressively, we have transitioned from a single check support to packaging assurance end-to-end solutions,” Cartier told us.