Phage approved in food, why not as a therapeutic?

Bacterial resistance is not only restricted to human infections but is also a major problem in food. With the marked decrease in produced antimicrobials, the world is now reassessing bacteriophages. In 2006, ListShield™ received the US FDA approval for using phage in food. Nevertheless, regulatory approval of phage-based therapeutics is still facing many challenges. This review highlights the use of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents in the food industry. It also focuses on the challenges still facing the regulatory approval of phage-based therapeutics and the proposed approaches to overcome such challenges.

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