Dr. Taylor educated the commodity agriculture industry, the food industry, regulatory bodies, consumer advocate groups, clinicians and individual consumers on food allergens. He combined academic research with private industry to provide the food industry with creditable information, expert opinions, tools and services related to allergenic foods. Dr. Taylor was a steward of the food and agriculture industry, and a champion for those with food allergens.
It's quite an honor for me to have the opportunity to provide this tribute. It's not often that someone from agribusiness has the opportunity to recognize someone from academia in this type setting. I think we will all better understand why I was given this opportunity once you hear but a few of the examples of the network Dr. Taylor has built across industries, institutions, and countries. I've known and admired Dr. Taylor for 17 years. Here's why!
If you or someone in your life has a food allergy, or you work in the food industry, you are well aware of the potentially severe consequences of a food allergic person accidentally ingesting a food allergen, such as milk, eggs, or peanuts.
But you might not be aware that you have a true champion right here in Lincoln in one of tonight's honorees. Dr. Steve Taylor's career efforts, leadership and stewardship have enhanced the quality of life of people in Nebraska and around the world. Since joining the University of Nebraska in 1987, he has been instrumental in educating the commodity agriculture industry, the food industry, regulatory bodies, consumer advocate groups, clinicians, and individual consumers on food allergens.
Dr. Taylor has brought together these stakeholders with the ultimate goal of protecting food allergic consumers and improving their quality of life. At the same time, Dr. Taylor has been able to combine the academic research at a land grant university with a consortium of private industry stakeholders with the goal of providing the food industry with creditable information, expert opinions, tools and services related to allergenic foods. This group, known as the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) is unique in that the majority of the members are in the business of manufacturing and marketing food products to consumers. I am honored to provide this tribute to Dr. Taylor and appreciative that the Board of the Nebraska Hall of Agriculture Achievement has recognized his impact on the food and agricultural industry.
Food allergic consumers are a small, but impactful portion of the population. They can be affected by food most of us can eat without giving safety any thought. Symptoms can range from mildly annoying to severe and life threatening. Food allergic consumers must avoid the foods that trigger their allergic reactions. Dr. Taylor has dedicated much of his career to research in food safety and toxicology and has become one of the world's foremost authorities in the areas of sulfite sensitivity and food allergens, publishing well over 2,000 manuscripts on these topics.
During the 1990's, Dr Taylor recognized the need to assist the food industry with better management of food allergens due to the number of packaged food recalls attributed to undeclared allergens. Since there was no federal funding for applied food allergy research in existence at that time and no single food manufacturer could afford to address the issue of food allergens, Dr. Taylor organized an industry funded consortium (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska. Seven founding industry charter members collectively funded research at UNL to increase the understanding of allergen thresholds, characterization, and detection. Under Dr. Taylor's direction, this group has grown to more than 75 member companies. Throughout the world, Dr. Taylor and FARRP are recognized as the authority for food allergens, thresholds of concern, how to best manage allergens in a commercial plant and for the development of immunochemical assays.
Dr. Taylor's development of assays has led to the creation of an industry segment that provides commercial test kits for use by the food and regulatory industries worldwide. These test kits are used to protect consumers from inadvertent contamination of a food product and to ensure proper labelling of food. Neogen Corporation became the commercial partner of FARRP in 1997 to manufacture and market rapid and easy to use allergen test kits along with other food safety diagnostics. This is yet another example of Dr. Taylor's vision of how academic research and private industry can partner to produce a product that has a direct impact on the improvement of consumer quality of life.
Dr. Taylor's work is not yet complete, though. Through FARRP, his group has sponsored several studies to determine the threshold doses of specific allergens to consumers. This work has been conducted in collaboration with many of the leading allergists around the world. The utilization of population threshold data, along with several additional variables, to quantitatively model the risk of an allergic reaction due to the potential of an undeclared allergen in a food product is the objective. The goal of stimulating the development of regulatory thresholds for the United States and around the world would have significant value to many different stakeholders, with increasing the quality of life for food allergic consumers being the most important.
Something few people that work with Steve know is that his and Susan's daughter, Amanda, is allergic to peanuts. She had her first reaction about 6 months after Steve started to do research on food allergies back in late 1970s. She remains allergic even in her mid-30s.
Steve says, "Kind of ironic timing. I start working on peanut allergy and 6 mos. later, my own infant daughter breaks out in hives from her first taste of peanut butter. She was 1.5 years old at the time." There is nothing like doing something you love to help protect someone you love.
Dr. Steve Taylor, a true steward of the food and agriculture industry, and a true champion for all those whose lives and businesses are touched by food allergens. We thank you for all that you have done. Congratulations!
