AVMA Launches "Chew On This" Podcast Series On Food Safety

Main Category: Veterinary
Article Date: 20 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Have you ever asked yourself, "What in the world is raw milk?" Or perhaps you've debated whether or not it's safe to give your puppy a leftover turkey drumstick - or safe for you to eat food from a cloned animal.

To address these and other hot topics surrounding food safety, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today launched a new podcast series, "Chew on This," dedicated to examining issues related to food safety and protecting our nation's food supply.

"America's veterinarians play key roles in food safety, and these podcasts offer us an opportunity to speak directly to consumers, many of whom may not be tuned in to the latest science and research surrounding the food we eat," said Dr. James Cook, president of the AVMA. "We're going to explore and investigate many of today's burning topics surrounding food - where it comes from, how it gets to our tables and why it's important to keep our food safe, abundant and affordable."

"Chew on This" kicked off today with a special Thanksgiving-themed installment that features Dr. Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, answering questions about how to help ensure that holiday dinners are safe for the family to enjoy.

Future "Chew on This" podcasts -- to be delivered biweekly through an RSS feed (http://www.avma.org/news/info_rss.asp), Apple's iTunes, and on http://www.KeepOurFoodSafe.org, the AVMA's food safety advocacy site - will explore a variety of food safety topics, such as cloned animals, organic foods, pasteurization, animal and product identification, and food importation.

Also available on iTunes is "AVMA Animal Tracks," a weekly podcast featuring veterinary experts on subjects such as pet health and safety tips, the threat of diseases that can spread from animals to humans and the surprising variety of roles veterinarians play in ensuring animal and human health.

The AVMA and its more than 76,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at http://www.avma.org for more information.

American Veterinary Medical Association