Do you know where the milk came from to make it or what the cows ate? What did the pigs eat before you ate the pork chop? If there is a recall of a food product, does the manufacturer know where the ingredients came from or where it was sold?

These are some of the questions the results from the BIOTRACER project will help governments and the public answer.

The aim of BIOTRACER is to create tests and computer models to improve the tracing of accidental and deliberate microbial contamination of food and animal feed.

The major achievements of this project so far include:

·        Development of remote control sampling and analysis to detect food poisoning bacteria in air

·        Use of computer modelling to help determine the source and fate of food poisoning bacteria

·        Assessment of European preparedness for a deliberate or accidental attack on the food chain

The BIOTRACER Integrated Project aims to improve the identification of micro-organisms in food and animal feed. With the increasing number of members of the EU community as well as increasing import of food and feed to Europe, a standard format for tracking and tracing bio-contaminants is necessary; BIOTRACER will help develop these standards using proven technologies in novel ways.

BIOTRACER has brought together experts from microbiology and computer software development as well as food retailers to take the results forward and improve food safety throughout Europe. BIOTRACER has brought together 46 organisations from 24 countries to tackle the problem of food and feed contamination.

The EU funds research projects in order to ensure consumer confidence in European food and to support European industry, especially small and medium sized enterprises.