Kansas' Role in Food and Ag Safety Noted at BIO International Convention

National leaders in biosecurity and government converged in Chicago
in May at the world’s largest annual biotechnology convention and described the urgent need for accelerated research to protect the American food supply and agriculture economy.

At the Biosecurity Conference at the BIO International Convention, food and agriculture security were called essential to public health and the world economy, with the National
Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) highlighted as a prime example of the kind of approach required for improved biosecurity.

Kansas Bioscience Authority president Tom Thornton joined Dr. James Roth of Iowa State University and Drs. Cyril Gay and José Díez of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in addressing the conference at a session focused on food and ag.

“With the NBAF, we have the federal government arm in arm with regional, state, and local partners in both the public and private sectors. This is exactly what we need to solve serious biosecurity threats, and, when it comes to food safety in particular, Kansas is contributing its world-class infrastructure, resources, and expertise to meet a national need,” Thornton said.

Biosecurity was a high profile topic at BIO, complete with a dedicated biosecurity zone within the BIO exhibit hall and the first-ever, two-day Biosecurity Conference. In the biosecurity zone, the KBA and Kansas State University showcased Kansas’ national biosecurity leadership with an exhibit featuring the NBAF, K-State’s Biosecurity Research Institute, the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, and more.

The KBA and DHS also hosted an NBAF progress report in Chicago with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, K-State President Kirk Schulz, and Jamie Johnson of the Department of Homeland Security. This meeting further expanded the national coalition supporting accelerated research to protect the American food supply and agriculture economy.

Other recent activities related to the NBAF include DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano’s meeting with CEOs from the Kansas City AgriBusiness Council and
KC Animal Health Corridor on the topic of food and agriculture; an important national research planning session at K-State that brought together of an impressive array
of animal and zoonotic disease researchers from around the country; and a well-attended community stakeholder update in Manhattan organized by DHS and
K-State.

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