Food Seminars International is working to counter the misinformation circulating about Lean Finely Textured Beef with a video that separates myths and reality. FSI’s Aaron Brown selected the LFTB topic because of its prominence in the news recently. He says most of the coverage has been weak on facts – noting social websites latched onto the initial, factually incorrect reports and rebroadcast them extensively. Dr. Keith Warriner – a professor of food science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada – is featured in the video. Warriner says this controversy is a good example of how the mass media or social media like Facebook and Twitter have provided a means of misinformation. He says it means producers and suppliers must go beyond just educating consumers.

Warriner tries to address the myths and realities so that the facts of LFTB are on the table and consumers can make science-based choices. He decided to clear the air and lay the groundwork for solid decision making because there will be more examples of food safety issues being blown out of proportion and spread within the social media groups in the future.

The video is available on YouTube (www.youtube.com). Just search for ‘LFTB myths and reality’ and look for the video by FoodSeminars.