Scientist Marc Allard at FDA's comparative genomics laboratory uses the Abbott Molecular Plex ID system, which can rapidly type foodborne pathogens by the mass of small targets. Hundreds of FDA scientists are working to develop the tools needed to keep bacterial and chemical contaminants out of the food supply, and to rapidly identify the disease-causing bacteria that do infiltrate foods and cause outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Among them are the researchers at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, Md.