Wherever there are bacteria, very likely there are bacteriophages attacking them. So it makes sense to enlist nature’s predator to fight foodborne pathogens. Why are bacteriophages, then, still slow to the market?

Well, because other pre-harvest interventions like lactic acid can do the same job essentially — ensure the cleanliness of the animals and raw materials entering processing facilities — at a much less expensive price. The last 10 to 12 years have certainly seen an increase in companies researching and launching commercial applications of bacteriophages, or phages, but they are still held back by efficacy, cost and lack of market demand.