Matthew D. Moore Discusses Detection of Food-borne Viruses with 'Ingredients Network'

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CDC data from 2024 shows that food-borne illness affects about one in six Americans each year, leading to more than 120,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths—most of which are preventable with stronger food-safety practices. Although the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion's Healthy People 2030 initiative has set national goals to reduce these illnesses, recent surveillance data reveals that the food sector is still falling short. 

To help close that gap, researchers at the College of Natural Sciences—including Matthew D. Moore, associate professor in the Department of Food Science—are now investigating advanced virus-detection technologies to identify human-infecting viruses that can spread through food and the environment.

In a recent interview with Ingredients Network, Moore explains the importance of, and challenges involved with, detecting food-borne viruses in foods:

“Food-borne viruses are estimated to be the leading cause of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. and globally, and so detecting them in foods can help potentially reduce their transmission. The challenge of effectively concentrating the viruses from foods without introducing inhibitors and doing it in a rapid and cheap manner is a major hurdle we still face."

— Matthew D. Moore speaking with Ingredients Network

Read the full interview at Ingredients Network.