Ricke Set for Two Food Safety Lectures in England

Photo Submitted

Steven Ricke

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Steven C. Ricke, who holds the Donald C. (Buddy) Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture department of food science, will deliver two lectures in England this month.

On May 12, Ricke will speak at the University of Northampton on “Current U.S. Research Perspectives on Foodborne Salmonella.” Ricke will also meet with faculty and students at the campus to expand the collaborative research activity on food safety issues between personnel at Northampton and the Division of Agriculture.

Ricke will travel to London on May 14 to the Institute of Food Science and Technology’s conference on “The Fantastic Future of Food: Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future.” Ricke will deliver a lecture titled “Salmonella and Food Safety: Current and Future Strategies.” Ricke is one of a few invitees from the U.S. to speak at the two-day program. He was awarded a faculty development and enhancement travel assistance grant from the UA provost’s office toward the trip’s expenses.

“As food safety programs evolve, more emphasis is being placed on food systems’ approaches to controlling foodborne pathogens over the entire food chain of production,” Ricke said. “This along with risk modeling is allowing a more systematic means to decrease consumer exposure to foodborne pathogens. Likewise, designing intervention technologies that prevent initial food contamination by foodborne pathogens is becoming more feasible. However, to accelerate success, all of these approaches will require continued research on the fundamental epidemiology, ecology, physiology and genomics of the respective foodborne pathogens.”