bioMérieux to Demonstrate "Microbiology Pathway: From Sample to Decision" at the 2012 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)

bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, will announce the “Microbiology Pathway: From Sample to Decision,” a new efficiency-focused process to expedite the detection of foodborne bacterial contamination at the 2012 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Meeting. As part of the event, bioMérieux will host its 11th Annual Scientific Symposium, featuring a panel discussion titled: “Increasing the Efficiency of Producing, Monitoring and Distributing Foods – How Your Microbiology Testing Program Can Help,” on Tuesday, July 24, at the Westin Providence Hotel at 7:00 p.m. The panel is part of bioMérieux’s focus on the newest advancements in microbiology solutions and services for the food industry, which will be featured at bioMérieux booth #619.

“Microbiology Pathway: From Sample to Decision” will be exhibited on the show floor, and is a comprehensive approach to enhancing the safety of food products through laboratory automation, LEAN best practices, and continuous improvement. The elements of the microbiology pathway comprise of media and sample preparation, enumeration, pathogen detection and confirmation. Automating the testing process combines speed, reliability and sensitivity for faster product release and improves plant response time when problems arise.

The Symposium keynote speaker, Michael C. Robach, is Vice President of Corporate Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs for Cargill, Inc. He joined Cargill in 2004 to lead the company’s global food safety and regulatory programs. In this role, he leads Cargill’s corporate efforts across food protection and security, quality assurance, animal health and regulatory compliance.

A distinguished panel of experts will discuss the following: how faster micro results can contribute to safer foods, how the validity of the micro results are only as good as the validity of the sampling plans and specifications, cost benefits of holding food products when a test and hold program is in place, and the expectations of certificates of analysis and audit certification.

Additional speakers include:

• Russell Flowers, PhD, Chairman of the Board & Chief Scientific Officer, Silliker Group Corp.
• James Marsden, Professor of Food Safety and Security, Kansas State University
• Michael Roberson, Director of Corporate Quality Assurance, Publix Super Markets, Inc.

The panel will be moderated by Michael Brodsky, President of Brodsky Consultants.

For more information or to register, please visit the bioMérieux IAFP 2012 website.

New at IAFP!

• bioMérieux will debut BACARA™, a new chromogenic medium for detection and enumerations of Bacillus cereus. BACARA Media has recently been included in the FDA BAM and in a recent independent study, BACARA has been validated for the enumeration of strains of the B. cereus group from food matrixes and is recommended to replace MYP as a more rapid method to recover B. cereus from contaminated food products.
• bioMérieux will also announce the new Smasher™ XL large capacity blender and homogenizer for 375g samples. The Smasher XL utilizes the patented “SMASH” effect that avoids jams and streamlines laboratory workflow by eliminating the need to reposition the sample bag during sample preparation.
• Mass Spectrometry technology for the Food Industry: VITEK® MS. This automated microbial identification system uses award winning, innovative (MALDI-TOF) technology and provides the identification of environmental bacteria, yeast, mold and mycobacteria in minutes. This device improves turnaround times and accuracy in the food testing setting.

Visit us at bioMérieux booth #619 for more information.

About bioMérieux

Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 45 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 40 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2011, revenues reached €1.427 billion with 87% of sales outside of France.

bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cancer screening and monitoring and cardiovascular emergencies. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

bioMérieux is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris market (Symbol: BIM – ISIN: FR0010096479).

Additional information can be found at www.bioMerieux-usa.com.

Contacts

Media Relations

bioMérieux
Allan Mohess
Tel: +1 919-479-3639
allan.mohess@biomerieux.com

Baker & Yorke
Tim Baker
Tel: + 1 216-338-8086
tbaker@baker-yorke.com