Using Bacterial Viruses to Enhance Food Safety

You may not realize that every year, one out of six Americans get food poisoning.  Over a hundred thousand end up in a hospital and some with fatal outcomes. This past year, a Trader Joe’s meal had a listeria scare and the year before, it was Silk’s almond milk.  

Other common food borne bacteria include salmonella and E. coli.  But scientists are exploring a novel way to control these bacteria using bacteriophages – viruses that attack bacteria without harming us.    

They act like “heat seeking” missiles that lock onto a bacterial species and ignore everything else.  Bacterial viruses were discovered in the mid-nineteen tens, and scientists are now revisiting them.  

Research is focusing on how to use them on ready-to-eat meats. Spraying or soaking meat with the virus reduced bacteria but couldn’t reach microbes inside the meat. A new study is experimenting with microneedle technology instead.  These are tiny, dissolvable spikes made of food-safe materials that  “inject” bacteriophages directly into food. A Velcro-like patch was applied to cooked chicken contaminated with E. coli. Within hours, the viruses wiped out nearly all the bacteria, both on the surface and deep inside the meat.  

If approved, the patches could become a part of food packaging—like the moisture-absorbing pads in chicken trays or the lining in salads. This way, food packaging won’t just preserve food, it’ll actively protect us.