Hygiene Innovations Key to Reducing Antibiotics in Feed

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to global health, intensified by the need to produce food on an industrial scale. AMR is a consequence of the overuse of antibiotics, mainly in animal food production. Hygienic measures across the feed production chain contribute significantly to reducing these. Béatrice Conde-Petit, food safety officer at Bühler of Uzwil, Switzerland, addressed the need for safe and sustainable feed and food value chains at the 2016 Swiss Green Economy Symposium in Winterthur, Switzerland, November 14. The emerging threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria is posing a huge challenge for the industry in terms of food safety. Bacteria are changing and acquiring antimicrobial resistance. This is one of the biggest global public health threats,” says food technology expert, Conde-Petit.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a consequence of the overuse of antibiotics, mainly in animal food production. Two-thirds of the antibiotics worldwide are used for livestock as growth promotors or to prevent and cure infections. A consequence is the emergence of resistance mechanisms which threaten the treatment of infectious human diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts AMR will lead to prolonged illness, disability, and death if measures are not taken globally to address the threat. “AMR is already the cause of 50,000 deaths per year in Europe and the United States,” Conde-Petit explains. “If we don’t invest in viable solutions now, more people are likely to be killed by AMR than cancer by 2050.”

Hygiene measures across the production chain are central to addressing the issue, though there is no “magic bullet” panacea, she says. Feed is one of the main paths of harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, that can infect livestock. Therefore, safe feed is the starting point for reducing antibiotics in animal food production. “Food safety begins with safeguarding the quality of raw materials with grain drying and cleaning solutions, followed by good hygienic design of plants to control contamination and enable effective cleaning. Lastly, eliminating harmful bacteria are to be eliminated with reliable kill steps in feed processing," Conde-Petit said, adding that innovation is at the core of Bühler’s strategy. Each year, the company invests up to 5% of its turnover in research and development to anticipate trends and challenges.

Investing in innovation and R&D is essential for developing solutions for the AMR issue according to the WHO, which has also called for all countries to develop action plans. “Switzerland is well positioned thanks to its high standard in feed processing for feed safety. It is considered a benchmark for feed producers worldwide,” Conde-Petit said. Through partnerships with Swiss Institute of Feed Technology (SFT) and other customer workshops, Bühler trains professionals from the feed manufacturing industry around the globe.

The Swiss Green Economy Symposium 2016 brought together thought leaders from politics, business, and society to address the need for sustainability in the economy. Conde-Petit was a keynote speaker sharing Bühler’s sustainability agenda within the areas of energy, alternative proteins, antibiotic reduction, and feed safety. For more information on the symposium, visit www.sges.ch; on antimicrobial resistance, read http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/; and on Bühler’s food and feed safety solutions, see http://www.buhlergroup.com/global/en/about-buehler/media/core-topics/food-safety.ht.