Factsheet on H1N1 Influenza Virus

Factsheet on H1N1 Influenza Virus

In the current climate of media overreaction and misinformation, many USMEF members have requested information on the H1N1 influenza outbreak. The following points should be stressed:

• Influenza cannot be transmitted by eating pork.
• There is no evidence that the H1N1 strain is present in U.S. pigs or any other pigs.
• If an animal with active swine flu infection were to arrive at a processing facility, it would not pass the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) ante-mortem inspection and would be condemned as unfit for human consumption.
• Even if an animal was exposed to the virus as a surface contamination, commonsense food handling and preparation practices (cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit) would kill the virus, as it does other bacteria and viruses.

Click on the link for a USMEF factsheet recently distributed to the federation’s international offices.

Factsheet on H1N1 Influenza Virus

In the current climate of media overreaction and misinformation, many USMEF members have requested information on the H1N1 influenza outbreak. The following points should be stressed:

• Influenza cannot be transmitted by eating pork.
• There is no evidence that the H1N1 strain is present in U.S. pigs or any other pigs.
• If an animal with active swine flu infection were to arrive at a processing facility, it would not pass the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) ante-mortem inspection and would be condemned as unfit for human consumption.
• Even if an animal was exposed to the virus as a surface contamination, commonsense food handling and preparation practices (cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit) would kill the virus, as it does other bacteria and viruses.

Click on the link for a USMEF factsheet recently distributed to the federation’s international offices.