How Would You React to a Terrorist Threat Against Your Food?
Cornell University just released an interesting study in which researchers try to gauge consumers' reactions to food that was (hypothetically) tainted by terrorists: http://alisoneats.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/food-terror/
Surprisingly (to me, at least), most people still ate some chicken that they'd heard might have bird flu planted by terrorists.
You guys may have a different reaction.
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5 Comments:
Does that include animal activist terrorizing restaurants that serve fois gras?
My response, eat more of it. Keep Hudson Valley in business!
BirdDoggie at 6:52PM on 01/16/09
We are jaded because tainted food is a regular occurrence in our agricultural system. Salmonella and E.coli outbreaks happen regularly, could bird flu be killed by cooking your chicken to 160 degrees?
LearP at 1:02AM on 01/17/09
Okay, I'll bite. Considering the fact that I was one of over 220 people who contracted salmonella from a Tex-Mex place in the early 90s and my cast iron stomach husband who ate the same damn stuff was not ill in the least(yeah, I was sick as a dog)--jeez, unless it was arsenic I wouldn't be too worried.
This study looks a bit, well, let's just be nice and call it murky. My husband happens to be a market research analyst and conducts focus groups (as he's doing now in China) as well as writing surveys and is a serious economic number cruncher.
So, I will run this study by him and hell, let's get his dad involved too. His dad has a doctorate from Cornell and has been personally involved in leading projects for Earthwatch and was an editor for Bat Research News and well many more interesting credentials (don't start me on the mongoose, please). So, I'll point out this "study" to my Cornell alumni father in law and my market research analyst husband and see what they have to say.
Truly, I'd be more worried about the Timothy McVeigh type of people (natives with a grudge). Oh, these are such warm and fuzzy thoughts to end the night on.
dhorst at 1:48AM on 01/17/09
dhorst--I can't wait to hear what your peeps have to say. Do check the link in my initial question, since there's a comment from the lead study investigator on how they choose bird flu as the hypothetical threat.
LearP--yes, per the World Health Organization, cooking chicken to 70 degrees celcius (sp?), or 158 degrees F, does kill bird flu pathogens. The USDA recommends cooking chix to 165, anyway (too high, I think, but they always err on the side of food safety). Although it's interesting that you say we may have become too jaded about tainted food in general. The lead investigator told me that he thought the study's results demonstrated people may have too much confidence in the current food safety system.
BirdDoggie, I just love you for your answer!
AlisonEats at 11:03AM on 01/17/09
Thanks Alison. I like your website. Well done.
BirdDoggie at 1:08PM on 01/17/09