Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024 - 457

IVAN PARKIN LECTURE
disinformation is intentionally developed and distributed to manipulate
public opinion. Disinformation can be spread through social media,
traditional media, or direct communication. The goal is to cause
confusion, create division, and undermine trust in institutions. The
increase in disinformation has been aided by the rise of so-called
pink slime journalism, named after " pink slime, " also known as lean
finely textured beef (LFTB), a meat by-product that can be added to
ground beef and beef-based processed meats. The term " pink slime "
was the subject of a highly publicized lawsuit between 2012 and 2017
due to misconceptions reported in the media about LFTB (6). Pink
slime journalism refers to news organizations or websites that, while
appearing legitimate, actually publish fake news that appears to be
local. This type of journalism has gained prominence as the number
of traditional news organizations has decreased. For example, as of
2024, there are almost 3,000 fewer newspapers in the U.S. than there
were in 2005, and most of the remaining newspapers are published
weekly rather than daily (7). This creates a vacuum for pink slime sites
to fill. Whether created by the loss of newspapers or the rise in social
media sites that constantly need information, the increasing dearth of
locations from which to source credible information is the crux of the
mis-dis-malinformation problem that we increasingly have to address.
A food safety-related example of pink slime journalism occurred
in 2015 when a series of posts on the Chinese social media site,
WeChat, claimed that the fast-food company KFC produced food from
genetically modified chickens with six wings and eight legs (8). The
posts included images of the alleged chickens, and they went viral,
with at least 4,000 subsequent posts that were supposedly read more
than 100,000 times, according to KFC. The company subsequently
sued three Chinese firms that it accused of spreading the false rumors.
In 2016, the Xuhui District People's Court in Shanghai fined three local
companies - Yingchenanzhi Success and Culture Communication,
Taiyuan Zero Point Technology, and Shanxi Weilukuang Technology
- for damaging KFC's reputation and causing economic losses by
permitting the allegations to be posted on their social messaging
accounts (9).
In an era where traditional news sources are dwindling and digital
platforms are rapidly proliferating, disinformation, particularly through
pink slime journalism, poses a significant threat to public trust and
societal cohesion. The spread of fabricated news stories, like the
KFC incident, underscores the dangerous potential of such tactics to
manipulate public perception and damage reputations. Addressing
the challenges posed by disinformation requires a concerted effort to
promote media literacy, enhance the credibility of information sources,
and reinforce the importance of factual reporting in maintaining a wellinformed
society.
MALINFORMATION
Malinformation involves the dissemination of actual facts, but
presenting them in a way that is intended to mislead the recipient (1).
This type of information manipulation can be particularly damaging
because it is based on factual data, which can lend it credibility,
making it harder for people to recognize the harmful intentions behind
its distribution.
A good example of how legitimate information can be manipulated
to mislead can be found on the website foodbabe.com. This website
describes various foods produced in the U.S. compared to their
counterparts in different countries and purports to show that the
food produced in the U.S. is less safe than the same food produced
elsewhere. One such example involves McDonald's French fries, with
the claim that while in the U.K. the fries are made with only a few
ingredients, in the U.S. they are fried in oil containing a chemical called
polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), also known as dimethylpolysiloxane,
which the foodbabe website describes as the main ingredient in Silly
Putty (10). Dimethylpolysiloxane is a key component in Silly Putty,
providing its unique properties such as elasticity and malleability. This
silicone-based polymer enables Silly Putty to stretch, bounce, and
retain its shape, making it a popular and versatile toy. Its molecular
structure allows it to flow under low stress but become firmer when
subjected to rapid force, giving Silly Putty its distinctive characteristics
(11). A reader may infer from reading the information on the foodbabe
website that by consuming french fries produced in oil containing
PDMS, consumers are essentially eating Silly Putty.
The problem lies in the information that isn't included on the website.
For example, we know that Risk = Hazard multiplied by exposure.
While the foodbabe website has identified a hazard (PDMS), there is no
information provided about the exposure associated with consuming
fries made with PDMS-containing oil, nor is there a description of
the risk of consuming PDMS. According to the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, PDMS is allowed at a maximum level of 10 ppm as
an anti-foaming agent in oils for deep frying (12). Additionally, the
European Food Safety Authority's panel on Food Additives and
Flavorings concluded that there is no safety concern at the reported
use levels for PDMS (13). This information is completely missing from
the commentary on the foodbabe website, and including it would
significantly alter the intended meaning of the post.
FRAMING THE PROBLEM
In discussions with students regarding sources of legitimate,
scientifically based information, many food safety educators
traditionally cite three main sources for credible information, including
government websites, experts in the field, and peer-reviewed journal
articles. However, each of these sources is increasingly problematic.
For example, during COVID, there were instances where misinformation
was posted on government websites (14). An expert is defined as
someone with comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in
a particular area (15), but how does one determine when someone has
enough knowledge to become an expert? Simply saying that one needs
increasing formal and higher education is inaccurate, as many people
without higher education are experts through knowledge gained from
experience. Even the peer-reviewed literature can no longer collectively
be regarded as above repute, with recent reports indicating that in
2023, more than 10,000 articles were retracted due to erroneous or
fake data (16), and this number appears to be just a small percentage
of the actual numbers of fraudulent published articles.
Thus, the problem of Mis-Dis-Malinformation can be summed up
as follows: many traditional sources of scientific information are
becoming suspect; it is increasingly difficult to know where to source
credible information; and when information is obtained, it is difficult
to know whether that information is legitimate. A popular response to
questions regarding where to source credible information is to simply
agree with the scientific consensus on a respective topic. However, the
problem with that solution is the fact that there are times when the
scientific consensus is wrong.
Giordano Bruno was an Italian philosopher, poet, alchemist,
astronomer, and cosmological theorist. He proposed that the stars
were distant suns surrounded by exoplanets, and also that these
November/December Food Protection Trends 457
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