SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Scientific instrument maker Agilent Technologies Inc. announced Monday that it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop new tools for tracking food pathogens and identifying seafood.
The company said the joint research and development effort aims to develop new ways to identify subtypes of salmonella in food so that when an outbreak occurs, officials can more quickly identify the source of the pathogen and potentially limit the number of victims.
Agilent also hopes to build on its existing DNA-based tools so that seafood can be easily identified in laboratories, which could detect such things as intentional mislabeling to avoid tariffs or import restrictions.
"We're very pleased to be collaborating with the FDA, because this work holds tremendous potential for solving some very challenging threats to the safety and integrity of the food supply," Paul Zavitsanos, Agilent's global food safety manager, said in a statement.
Shares of Agilent, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., fell 20 cents to $45.42 in midday trading.