Keith Belk, PhD
Dr. Keith Belk is the Director of Eurofins’ Advanced Learning Institute and Professor and Holder of the Monfort Endowed Chair, Center for Meat Safety & Quality, Colorado State University (CSU), and as an Adjunct Professor in the Colorado School of Public Health. Previously, he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Animal Sciences at CSU. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from CSU, and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. He currently serves in a consulting role as the Director of Education for Eurofins Rapid Microbiology Laboratories, LLC. Dr. Belk is also a member of the International Committee for the National Western Stock Show, the Board of Directors for the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation, on the Academic Advisory Committee for the Meat Institute Protein PACT, and on the technical advisory committees for Sustainable Beef, JBS, Colorado Premium Foods, and Hawkins.
Below are resources from Dr. Keith Belk:
There are many ways to sell and distribute authorized food packaging materials on the US market. One pathway for introducing new food contact substances to the U.S. market is by submitting a Food Contact Notification (FCN) to the FDA for premarket approval. Watch our webinar exploring the FDA’s authorization process for new food contact substances, focusing on migration testing and safety evaluation. Originally Aired on June 4, 2025
Food safety risks in fruit and vegetable processing environments can come from many different sources. Agricultural items are inherently dirty products, which can introduce risk- including microbial pathogens- to a facility from the outside environment. If your Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) and sanitation programs are not sufficient to control these risks, these products could be potentially cross contaminating other products that are subsequently processed in the facility. It is therefore imperative that we think about risks from both our incoming products and our processes when designing environmental monitoring programs.
Nestled in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, Fresno is a thriving agricultural hub renowned for its diverse produce, dairy farms, and food manufacturing operations. Strategically positioned within this bustling industry, Eurofins operates three specialized laboratories in Fresno, each dedicated to providing cutting-edge testing and support tailored to the region’s needs.
The southwest leafy green industry has once again completed its migration south and Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories Yuma is ready. This year the lab has upgraded to better support the industry.
This poster discusses research with the purpose to validate enrichment concentration as a method for shortening enrichment times to 12 hours for Listeria testing in leafy greens.
This poster discusses research with the purpose to develop a molecular method that detects indicators of enteric pathogen contamination and requires less than six hours of enrichment.
Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories in Salinas has met this industry demand for quality, and as a result has expanded the Eurofins presence within the produce market.
This poster discusses research focused on the co-enrichment detection of Salmonella and STEC on produce matrices.
This poster discusses research with the purpose to demonstrate proof of concept of the EPRI tool with real-world samples by comparing against a validated pathogen method and culture.
Mushroom toxicity comes from many sources, including the soil, processing, and the mushrooms themselves. This infographic outlines sources of contamination, as well as steps to take to minimize the risk of toxins entering the food chain.
