International travel and the global food trade are driving the spread of pathogens resistant to control according to food safety experts assembled here this week. Yet as some bacteria become more difficult to eliminate from food and health concern, American consumers may be putting themselves at risk by the food choices they make.

Speaking at the Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Meeting + Food Expo, food safety expert Dean Cliver of the University of California at Davis complained about the disconnect between public perception and the reality of food processing.

“After we organize our safety efforts in more elegant ways, we’re still back to the idea that processing is important,” he said, “[But] the consuming public is being told that totally unprocessed foods are doing them good.”

IFT’s new expert report on antimicrobial resistance identifies consumer demand for less-processed foods as a possible source of the increased occurrence in resistant bacteria. It is the result of fewer antimicrobial applications to food that inactivate pathogens during processing, according to the study.

“The perception is that raw food is ‘natural’ and any preservation inevitably diminishes nutritional value,” said Cliver. “Now, without cooking, things that were not a problem before are turning up.”

Cliver places at least part of the blame on food manufacturers.

“[The claim that] ‘Raw is natural’ has triggered a backlash against food technology” he said, “‘Raw is natural’ is trendy enough so that some of the big companies have gotten on the bandwagon.”

Gary Richards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said concern is rising over the Hepatitis E virus, though there were only 10 U.S. cases last year and seven of those people contracted the disease abroad. But because Hepatitis E is common in Asia, Africa, and Mexico, its incidence could grow quickly here, he said.

Now in its 66th year, IFT Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO® is the world’s single largest annual scientific meeting and technical exposition of its kind. The convention runs through Wednesday.

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)