To reduce microbial risk of known pathogens we aim to:

• assess chemical, biological and other interventions
• measure with culture, molecular methods and genomics
• share data for action now and in the future

Examples of problems the network can address in this area

These are illustrative examples. We are open to receiving other proposals outside of these areas.

• Advance the adoption of bacteriophage applications by providing the necessary evidence and information on their control of microbes
• Incorporate the real-life context of complex microbial communities or complex harbourage sites when assessing effectiveness of biocides
• Prove the concept of metagenomic sequencing as a next-generation approach to measuring and understanding microbial contamination in food production settings and foods
• Conduct directed microbial investigations into the spillover from the environment or zoonotic sources into foods (or production settings)
• Facilitate the availability of microbial testing data between partners to provide visibility of current trends and supporting enhanced monitoring in that product category and overall horizon scanning on microbial risks
• Create information from laboratory results that can be understood and is easy to use