by Roz Brown for Public News Service
Food safety is emerging as a potential political issue ahead of the midterms following multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and recalls of imported meat. Coincidentally, New Mexico is expanding its safety testing.
Earlier this month, the USDA finalized an agreement with the state to enhance meat and poultry food safety inspection. Some of it will be done by New Mexico State University's Food Safety Laboratory.
Luis Sabillón, assistant professor of food science and technology at the university and director of the lab, said improved infrastructure will give small and very small processors another pathway to meet safety requirements at least equal to the federal level.
"We'll provide the testing that supports their inspection program," Sabillón explained. "We are bringing analytical capacity closer to the producers and processors rather than having to rely heavily on laboratories outside New Mexico."
Despite major foodborne illnesses across the U.S. this summer, cases in New Mexico were relatively low. Some food safety scientists blamed the outbreaks on federal cuts to public health, while the Trump administration countered Democrats are using food-safety scaremongering to score political points.
The outbreak linked to cyclospora in lettuce led to almost 20,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of illness from May through August, making it the largest recorded outbreak of the parasite.
The university's lab has played a critical role in the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Emergency Response Network, contributing to method validation and verification studies for the detection of foodborne pathogens. Sabillón noted it operates under a student-powered model allowing industry partners to access high-quality, university-backed testing services, while students gain hands-on experience.
"We have master's and PhD students that are doing their higher education in food science but they are focusing their research in food safety, especially in foodborne pathogens," Sabillón added.
He pointed out students learn microbiological methods, documentation, traceability, data integrity and professional communication — all skills critical for careers in food safety.