Visit any grocery store and you can expect that the produce, meat and other products that line the shelves are not contaminated.
But sometimes that’s not the case.
Each year the federal government launches dozens of investigations into foodborne disease outbreaks traced to germs like salmonella, listeria, E. coli and others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 48 million people fall ill annually as a result.
Some in the food distribution chain, like Carlton Adams, see the sensors potentially revolutionizing their business practices. Adams is COO of Operation Food Search, which distributes donated food to dozens of agencies in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois that help combat food insecurity.
It’s imperative to him that the food it distributes to food pantries is high quality, dense with nutrition and reliable for the people who depend on it, Adams said.