Low-water activity (a_w) and dried foods, such as grain-based and dried ready-to-eat cereal products, powdered infant formula, peanut and other nut pastes, flours, and spices have been increasingly associated with product recalls and foodborne outbreaks due to contamination by pathogens, such as Salmonella spp. and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.  In particular, recent foodborne outbreaks and product recalls related to Salmonella-contaminated spices and E. coli in flour have raised the level of public health concern for spices or other dry foods as agents of foodborne illness. Foodborne pathogens, in low a_w foods, often exhibit an increased tolerance to heat and other intervention treatments that are lethal to cells in high a_w environments. It is increasingly challenging to eliminate these pathogens in many dry foods or ingredients without impairing organoleptic quality. Some current control or preventive measures are based on hygienic design, zoning, and implementing efficient cleaning and sanitation procedures. Improved, rapid bacteriological resuscitation and detection assays for foodborne pathogens that are in very low numbers and should be developed. Foodborn pathogen detection challenges in dry products (e.g., spices, nuts and flour) and their processing environments will be discussed and some of the current methodologies that may help overcome these challenges will be identified.

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