Response to July Magazine Cover

Response to July Magazine Cover
The cover to the July issue of Food Technology is completely inappropriate. IFT champions food safety and accompanying practices. How then could a picture of a woman and dog at a table with food on the table and the dog’s food bowl on the table, indicating approval of this practice, be consistent with food safety? The title appears to endorse this coupling of pets and people sharing mealtime at the same table, a situation that is incompatible with food safety.

The transmission of microbial contamination from animals to humans is well established and occurs rather frequently with adverse health consequences. Dogs can’t be excluded. The dinner table is reserved exclusively for humans so far as food safety is concerned. I regret the necessity of sending this note of strong disagreement.

David R. Lineback, Ph.D., IFT past president and emeritus professional member