Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024 - 456

IVAN PARKIN LECTURE
Digesting Truth:
Navigating Food Safety Education in the Age of Misinformation
LAWRENCE GOODRIDGE, Ph.D.
Leung Family Professorship in Food Safety
University of Guelph & Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS)
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
As John Adams, the second President of the United States, once
said, " Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes,
our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter
the state of facts and evidence. " In other words, a fact is a fact, and
our emotions or beliefs about that fact are irrelevant. For example,
if we turn on the stove and place our hand on a red-hot element, we
will get burned. That is a fact, regardless of whether we believe it or
not. And yet, we find ourselves in an unprecedented time where the
spread of non-factual information has become an existential threat.
We only need to look at the U.S. political situation to see this, but
the issue extends far beyond political systems. The same challenges
can be observed in our profession of food safety. While information
is defined as what is conveyed by a particular arrangement or
sequence of things, a definition that excludes any inherent attributes
of factuality - the issue arises when information is incorrect. Such
information can be spread in three ways including misinformation,
disinformation, and malinformation - collectively known as MisDis-Mal-Information.
Chowdhury and colleagues (1) have reported
on the rise in the number of peer-reviewed journal articles on the
topic of Mis-Dis-Malinformation, with increases in 2015 and 2016
and a sustained increase between 2018 and 2020, related to the U.S.
presidential elections of 2016 and 2020. More recently, publications
have focused on the spread of mis-dis-malinformation during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has taken
notice, with their recent 6-3 ruling in the case of Murthy v. Missouri
that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the government's
communication with social media companies about COVID-19
misinformation (2). The ruling overturned a lower court decision and
allowed the government to request the removal of false information
without violating the First Amendment.
MISINFORMATION
Misinformation is defined as false or inaccurate information that is
spread without the intent to mislead (1). It can involve various types
of content, such as news, data, statistics, and images, and often
results from misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or communication
mistakes. The spread of misinformation can have significant
consequences, impacting public opinion, influencing behavior, and
leading to confusion or mistrust among the public. An example of
misinformation is the widespread misconception promoted by various
internet sites and celebrity chefs, including Julia Child, that raw
poultry should be washed before it is cooked. Washing poultry before
cooking is unsafe because it can spread harmful bacteria, such as
Salmonella and Campylobacter, around the kitchen. When poultry is
rinsed under running water, splashing can transfer these bacteria to
nearby surfaces, utensils, and even other foods, increasing the risk of
cross-contamination (3). Cooking poultry to the appropriate internal
temperature is the most effective way to eliminate any harmful
bacteria present. Proper kitchen hygiene, including cleaning and
sanitizing surfaces and washing hands thoroughly after handling raw
poultry, is essential to prevent the spread of bacteria.
Another source of misinformation comes from data journalism, where
reporters use data analysis to report and present news stories. A
rise in data journalism occurred during the pandemic when many
reporters, who did not have scientific backgrounds, were pulled off
their regular assignments to report on COVID-19. A major problem
arose when scientific data regarding the pandemic was erroneously
reported, leading to confusion among readers. For instance, during
the pandemic, significant misinformation arose concerning the
discovery of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid fragments on food packaging.
Reports suggested that the virus was present on the surfaces of food
packages, causing widespread concern and leading many people
to believe that the virus could be transmitted through food (4). This
misunderstanding stemmed from data journalists often failing to
clarify that the test used to detect the virus, Real-time Polymerase
Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), could not differentiate between viable
(infectious) virus particles and non-viable viral fragments.
The lack of clear explanations in media reports led to panic and
overreactions among the public. Many people assumed that the virus
was living on the surfaces of food packages, prompting them to take
extreme measures to sanitize their groceries. This included unsafe
practices such as storing food in garages, leading to temperature
abuse, and washing food with bleach or other disinfectants (5), which
resulted in chemical contamination. These actions increased the risk
of foodborne illnesses, as food safety principles were compromised in
the effort to avoid COVID-19 transmission.
This situation highlighted the importance of accurate and clear
communication from media and health authorities about the
limitations of testing methods and the actual risks involved. It also
underscored the need for public education on safe food-handling
practices and the importance of focusing on well-established methods
of preventing the spread of COVID-19, such as handwashing, maskwearing,
vaccinations, and social distancing.
DISINFORMATION
Disinformation refers to false information deliberately created and
disseminated with the intent to deceive and mislead people (1).
Disinformation can take many forms, including fabricated news
stories and manipulated images or videos. Unlike misinformation,
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Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024

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