Convenor & chair: Dr. Askild Holck, MATFORSK, Norwegian Food Research Institute

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used in the food industry and has a long history of safe use. However, some strains of LAB are known to be resistant to common antibiotics. In some cases, this has been shown to due to known antibiotic resistance genes. In others, resistance may be "intrinsic". Does this represent a problem? How can "intrinsic resistance" be distinguished from "possibly transferable"? What about regulations? The workshop is intended to review current and proposed regulation at the EU level, review current scientific knowledge and initiate discussions and possible research collaboration with an aim to increase the knowledge base in the area.

Workshop programme:

Introduction. Dr. Askild Holck, MATFORSK, Norwegian Food Research Institute

1. Genomic approaches for analyzing antibiotic resistance. Prof. Willem de Vos, Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences and University of Wageningen, The Netherlands.

2. Horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes among Enterococcus in the intestinal environment. Dr. Trine Rask Licht, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Denmark.

3. Opinion of the SCAN committee on the safety assessment of antibiotic resistant microorganisms. Prof. Atte von Wright, University of Kuopio, Finland.

4. EU regulations and feed additives. Prof. Sven Lindgren, National Food Administration, Sweden.

5. Antibiotic resistance and the data requirements - the practical side. Dr. Stephen Wessels, Danish Toxicology Centre, Denmark.

Discussion.