Max Rubner Conference 2012 - Antibiotics in the Food Chain

The Max Rubner-Institut is holding a scientific conference on “Antibiotics in the Food Chain” from 8 to 10 October 2012 in Karlsruhe – from the analysis of antibiotics and their degradation products, the status quo on residues in various groups of foodstuffs, microbiological aspects of antibiotic resistances, and the impact on humans to the strategies for addressing the issue.

Antibiotics are a group of pharmaceutical agents that are widely used to treat diseases in humans and in animal caused by bacterial infection. Consequently, increasing amounts of these powerful therapeutic tools have been applied, and only in recent years, suspicion has grown that antibiotic application might induce resistance in bacteria and thus counteract their basic therapeutic intention. Concerns about such antibiotic resistances have now become the subject of intensive public debate, not least in the media and amongst policy-makers.

Specific antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA or ESBL, have recently come into focus because of their potential to infect humans, especially in hospitals, and because of the shortage or complete lack of possibilities for treating infected patients effectively.

In animal husbandry antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been detected with increasing frequency worldwide with the concomitant danger of the transfer of antibiotic resistances to humans. The contamination of food with resistant bacteria may have an impact on food quality and has thus become a food safety issue.

In this context, the aim of this year’s Max Rubner Conference is to focus on antibiotics and antibiotic resistances in the food chain and to highlight the latest scientific breakthroughs with special emphasis on:

Legal framework of antibiotic application
Recent advances in antibiotic analysis
Antibiotic residues in the food chain and in different raw materials
Microbiological aspects of antibiotic resistances
Human health-related aspects of antibiotic resistances
Alternatives to antibiotics and minimisation strategies for food-related antibiotic resistances

During a final panel discussion experts will summarise the findings of the conference and elaborate future strategies to enhance food safety.