TEMPO’s automated food quality testing will help improve food safety nationwide

Marcy l'Etoile, France (May 29, 2007 ) — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is incorporating a new, state-of-the-art technology to advance its Microbiological Data Program ( MDP) laboratories. The USDA-MDP has purchased nine TEMPO^® units from bioMérieux, a leading industrial microbiology and diagnostics company. TEMPO, the first and only automated food quality testing and enumerating system, will perform generic E. coli testing for fresh produce in all MDP participating State laboratories nationwide.

TEMPO was introduced to U.S. customers in August 2006 at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting and commercially launched in the U.S. in January 2007. The systems have been installed in all nine laboratories participating with the USDA-MDP. The program is funded through Cooperative Agreements between each state and the USDA.

“Food borne illness and food adulteration are major public health and economic concerns for the consumers and the industry,” said Alexandre Mérieux, Corporate Vice President, bioMérieux Industry Business. “bioMérieux developed TEMPO to specifically answer the need for better food safety and quality. ”

MDP screens more than 11,000 samples of fresh fruit and vegetables annually. One of the most labor-intensive laboratory procedures is the Most Probable Number (MPN) test for detection and enumeration of E. coli . By automating this process, the MDP participating State Agriculture Laboratories can save on operational costs and dedicate more resources to testing pathogens of importance to public health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 73,000 cases of E.coli infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States every year. The United States Congress has challenged the food industry to prevent widespread outbreaks.

About USDA-MDP
The MDP is a monitoring program to capture baseline data on food borne pathogens, implemented in 2001 by the USDA. Through cooperation with State Agriculture laboratories and other Federal agencies, MDP manages the sampling, collection, analysis, data entry, and reporting of food borne pathogens on selected agricultural commodities. Currently, MDP tests cantaloupe, green onions, pre-cut bagged lettuce, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts for three primary organisms, including E. coli with pathogenic potential, Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7. More information: http://www.ams.usda.gov/science/MPO/Mdp.htm

About TEMPO^®
TEMPO automates testing for quality indicator organisms, including total viable counts, coliform counts, generic E. coli , and Enterobacteriaceae . The technology behind TEMPO is based on an established microbiological method, called Most Probable Number (MPN). Through automation, TEMPO takes the older, labor-intensive MPN method and standardizes numerous preparation steps, interpretation, and test results. The outcome is a fast, accurate method with more reliability than the original process. TEMPO reagents are developed and manufactured in France.

Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 40 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 35 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2006, revenues reached €1.037 billion with 83% of sales outside of France.

bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software), which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Our products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cardiovascular emergencies and cancer screening and monitoring. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. bioMérieux is listed on Eurolist by Euronext. For more information, visit www.biomerieux-usa.com .

Learn more about TEMPO

Paige Sargent
French/West/Vaughan
Tel.: 919-277-1162
psargent@fwv-us.com

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