NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

April 29, 1999

NDSU is New Member of National Alliance for Food Safety

North Dakota State University recently became a member of a national organization of research institutions focusing the expertise and efforts of the nation's most talented researchers on food safety concerns.

The National Alliance for Food Safety was established last year to conduct research and educational programs on priority food safety problems and issues, according to Patricia Jensen, NDSU Vice President for Agricultural Affairs. Faculty from member institutions collaborate on committees and in research projects to develop new approaches to improve food safety and new solutions to foodborne risks. Member institutions accepted NDSU's application for membership on April 20.

"The approach used by the alliance is to bring together the best and brightest to address a given food safety topic," Jensen says. "That North Dakota State was accepted for membership is a strong endorsement of the quality and competence of our scientists and the strength of our programs."

Other member universities include: Cornell, Georgetown, Iowa State, Kansas State , Michigan State, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Pennsylvania State, Purdue, Texas A&M, Arkansas, California-Davis, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and Washington State. The USDA's Agricultural Research Service is also a member of the alliance. The alliance also has an advisory group with representatives from farm and commodity groups, food industry groups and consumer organizations.

The focus of alliance collaboration at NDSU will be the College of Agriculture's Food Safety Task Force which has faculty representation from most of the college's departments. Jensen will serve as NDSU's representative on the alliance's board of directors.

Jensen says the faculty's expertise in infectious diseases, northern-grown foods and food processing that NDSU brings to the alliance will be valuable to the group's efforts. In turn, work at NDSU will benefit from new relationships with collaborators across the country. That collaboration will also make NDSU more competitive in gaining research funds for its food safety work.

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Source: Patricia Jensen (701) 231-7656

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629