High-Tech Devices Help Ensure Product Safety

An FDA scientist prepares to test bags of lactose for the presence of melamine with the portable near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy device. Lactose is a common raw ingredient in pharmaceutical products.

Portable rapid spectroscopic technologies—which analyze the dispersion of an object’s light to determine the object’s chemical or molecular composition—may hold the key to a new era of product-safety screening. By allowing investigators to screen products earlier in the supply chain, these portable devices could significantly cut risks from contamination or counterfeiting of medicines, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and perhaps even foods. For more information, read this FDA Consumer Update: www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm274100.htm