IBM, Mars see gene sequencing as key to protecting the global food supply

One in six people in the United States contract a food-borne illness every year, and thousands of them die. IBM and food giant Mars think genomics may help save many of those lives, as well as billions of dollars a year. Today, the two giant companies announced the formation of the Sequencing the Food Supply Chain Consortium. And while the effort has a long and unwieldy name, and will embark on some complex science, the goal is simple: develop better knowledge about what makes food safe, and unsafe. Every year, according to IBM, food-borne disease kills 3,000 people in the U.S. In addition, Big Blue said, more than 128,000 people end up in the hospital, incurring $9 billion in medical costs. At the same time, $75 billion in tainted food is thrown away every year. Add it all up, and the costs of contaminated food are tremendous and that’s just in the United States. According to James Kaufman, the manager of public health research at IBM’s Almaden Research Institute in San Jose, Cal
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/29/ibm-mars-see-gene-sequencing-as-key-to-protecting-the-global-food-supply/