NCFST Director Martin Cole Addresses Energy & Commerce Subcommittee

Martin Cole, PhD, director of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, deliberating key concepts to be included in a model food safety bill, on March 11, 2009. The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) in Chicago, Illinois, is a research consortium among the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the food industry. Established 17 years ago, the NCFST incorporates the FDA Division of Food Processing Science and Technology and was set up by FDA to form a link with industry for its expertise in food technology. The NCFST is the only center where industry can work collaboratively on projects with FDA scientists on food safety and technology research. Membership in the NCFST allows companies to gain an early insight into emerging food safety issues from the CFSAN perspective to assess the safety of new technologies which may be important for innovation. This early collaboration with FDA may also facilitate speed to market through the regulatory process.