For those who did not see the Larry King Live show on October 12 entitled “Is Meat Safe,” the topic of the night featured food safety and E. coli.
I have a personal relationship with both studio guests in the first segment of the hour. I met Barbara Kowalcyk two years ago at a food safety conference in Denver; she shared her story of losing her son, Kevin, to HUS. We were both interviewed for ABC’s Nightline for a piece on food borne illnesses. At the time, Barb worked with Safe Tables our Priority (STOP), but now she has moved on to an agency she created, the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI).
You can find CFI’s website at www.foodborneillness.org. I applaud Barb and all who work to bring these issues, and their possible solutions, to the forefront.
The second studio guest, Nicole Fenstermaker, and I have been friends since I reached out to her after she lost her daughter, Abby, to E. coli in May of 2009. She shared Abby’s heartbreaking story with the TV audience. Nicole and I speak often together about our mutual desire to make a difference in bringing about positive change in food safety reform. I think of Abby everyday and I grieve for her, too.
The remaining time on the show was spent in a general discussion on hamburger and how safe it is to eat. Two panelists on both sides of the issue participated in this dialogue. I felt neither panelist made a strong case either way. As always, I crave to hear a more solution-oriented viewpoint. We need to be talking about how we can make our food safer and then do something about it.
Bottom line, though, I’m glad Larry King ran the show on this topic and am looking forward to viewing or even participating on follow-up episodes on food safety.
—Kip
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