Pork is Safe to Eat!

PLEASE continue to support local agriculture and Alberta's hog farmers. Pork is still safe to eat as the "swine flu" in the media hype (H1N1 virus) is not passed to humans via pigs or pork products.

Some interesting facts from http://www.albertapork.com

Q.
Does the 2009 type A H1N1 flu virus pose a risk to food safety?
A.
No. Influenza viruses do not affect the safety of pork because influenza is not a
foodborne disease, according to the World Health Organization and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. As a general precaution against
foodborne illnesses it is always recommended that all food products be properly handled
and prepared. As with any raw meat, pork should always be properly handled and cooked
to eliminate a range of food safety concerns.
Q.
Can people become infected with the 2009 type A H1N1 flu virus by handling raw pork?
A.
No. There is no evidence to suggest that touching raw pork can lead to influenza infection.
However, the following precautions should always be taken whenever meat is handled:
• Clean - Before and after preparing pork, wash hands, cutting boards, knives and
countertops with warm soapy water.
• Separate - Keep raw pork and pork products – and their juices – separate from foods that
won’t be cooked.
• Cook - Cook pork and pork products to safe temperature. Health Canada recommends
cooking pork to a temperature of 71° C (160° F).
• Chill - Keep food cold to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Put leftovers in the
refrigerator within two hours of eating.
Q.
Should people be avoiding exposure to pigs?
A.
No. Canadian swine herds are not a risk for 2009 type A H1N1 Flu Virus infection. We know that
this 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus is spreading between humans – not directly from pigs to people. As a
result, there is no risk from proximity to pigs.
However, because humans can spread the disease to pigs, individuals with influenza symptoms
should not enter pig barns or contact pigs. People who have just returned from regions severely
affected by the 2009 type A H1N1 virus (ie Mexico) or who have potentially contacted other
people infected with the virus should not enter pig barns for 7 days.
Government officials are conducting investigations to find out more about how this particular
strain of 2009 type A H1N1 Flu virus spreads

“Pork is safe to eat, and direct contact with swine is not the source of, and U.S. pigs have not been infected with, the hybrid influenza that has been identified in a number of people in the United States and more than 1,300 in Mexico.
“NPPC wants to assure domestic and global consumers about the safety of pork and urges pork producers to tighten their existing biosecurity protocols to protect their pigs from this virus, including restricting public access to barns.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
* People cannot get the hybrid influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, including the swine flu virus, are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.
* There are no food safety issues related to the hybrid flu that has been identified, according to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
* Preliminary investigations have determined that none of the people infected with the hybrid flu had contact with hogs.
* “This virus is different, very different from that found in pigs.”
* The hybrid virus never has been identified in hogs in the United States or anywhere in the world.
* The hybrid virus is contagious and is spreading by human-to-human transmission.
For more information, visit http://www.pork.org/, www.cdc.gov/swineflu or http://www.usda.gov/2009/04/0131.xml