John Specchio of Human Ecology has a lot on his plate. Coordinator of Montclair State's Food Science and Technology Program, a senior science adviser for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a member of the FDA's bio-terrorism team, he is always looking for a better recipe to ensure food safety in this country.

"Everybody has to eat," said Specchio, whose expertise is in food safety and regulatory compliance. "So this field keeps growing. As scientists we track food from a chemical, physical perspective, from the harvest or slaughter all the way to the table. That encompasses food production, packaging, safety and regulations, toxicology, microbiology and sanitation."

Montclair State offers one of only two food science and technology programs in the state, and Specchio says our students are sought out by the many food companies in New Jersey. Graduates have landed jobs at Nabisco, Lipton, Campbell's Soup, General Foods, Unilever, which is part of Bestfoods, Thomas's English Muffins and General Bakery in Totowa, which makes Drake's and Pepperidge Farm products. "In addition, several other companies in the area produce food ingredients, and there are dozens of specialized smaller meat, bakery and soup companies that produce $5-20 million in sales per year," Specchio said.

Many graduates of the progam go into product research and development, product improvement or the dietary supplement and regulatory area. Others, Specchio said, go to work for the FDA in Parsippany and the United States Department of Agriculture.

As senior science adviser to the FDA, Specchio chairs a cadre of 35 professors from major universities across the country assisting the FDA in science, safety and regulatory issues. "We act as consultants working with FDA scientists to analyze and solve safety problems, and review noncompliance situations," he said. "For instance, as a result of globalization, this country imports close to 40 percent of its foods, which presents a major safety problem. We have strict laws in terms of what we allow in foods, and other countries don't have those same laws. So we examine imported foods because they have to maintain the same standards of quality we have in the United States."

The FDA, according to Specchio, reports to Congress on a regular basis on how safe food and water are from terrorist attacks. "That's why monitoring imported foods is so important," he said. "If we can develop scientific methods that will identify certain bacteria or chemical agents, then we can routinely screen these foods and ingredients."

As a member of the bio-terrorism team, Specchio is working with all FDA labs in the United States to develop plans to look at food forensics. "We're looking at types of foods that could be involved in a bio-terrorism attack," he said. "This is a long-range process, and again, the ultimate goal is to protect the consumer."

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, Specchio imagines consumers are more concerned with Listeria. Using science, he said, Listeria could be traced to food plants where it often comes in through mud on someone's shoes or clothing, and sometimes enters through the moisture in air-conditioning ducts. A natural contaminant of chicken and turkey that is also found in dairy products, Listeria is a resilient bacterium so it’s difficult to control.

"Where Listeria is really a danger is in cheese, sauces and deli meats because these are uncooked foods," said Specchio. "People who eat food tainted with Listeria have flu-like symptoms that may include vomiting, diarrhea, fever and nausea. It's not a deadly illness for most, but it can have dire consequences for people with secondary illnesses, pregnant women, the elderly and infants, who are always most susceptible."

Proper food handling, Specchio says, is imperative, especially in the home, where most food poisonings take place. Specchio recommends thoroughly washing poultry before cooking it. "Don’t cross contaminate the poultry with other food. If you're chopping raw turkey for Thanksgiving, clean off the cutting board before chopping other food," he said. "But the biggest offense is inadequate cooking."

Specchio described what he calls the danger zone between 40 and 140 degrees. If food is contaminated, bacteria will continue to grow within this range. Foods stored below 40 degrees are out of the range of most bacterial growth, and temperatures above 140 kill bacteria. "Good cooking is your last line of defense," he said. "Always cook poultry thoroughly. No pink, no running juices. I recommend 150 to 160 degrees for the internal temperature. Since most chickens and turkeys are cooked to 300-350 degrees, that’s well over the area that will kill bacteria."

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