Dive Brief:
- Mars, Incorporated has partnered with IBM Research scientists to establish the Consortium for Sequencing the Food Supply Chain, a collaborative effort that could lead to revolutionary discoveries in food safety.
- According to a press release, the consortium will conduct "the largest-ever metagenomic study" to study microorganisms and uncover their activity in a factory ecology.
- Scientists will begin by examining the genetic fingerprints of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, and how they grow in places like countertops, factories, and raw materials.
Dive Insight:
"Genome sequencing serves as a new kind of microscope – one that uses data to peer deeply into our natural environment to uncover insights that were previously unknowable," said Jeff Welser, vice president and lab director of IBM Research - Almaden. "By mining insights from genomic data, we're seeking to understand how to identify, interpret and ultimately create healthy and protective microbial management systems within the food supply chain."