There's no denying that the recent swine flu outbreak is dominating the news. The media just can't get enough swine flu info and quite frankly, the public relations industry is more than happy to give it to them.
The PR machine of the National Pork Board has been working full-bore (full-boar?) to distance the swine flu virus from the ingestion of swine food products and to have the media refer to it by it's official name - the H1N1 virus.
In case you've forgotten, the National Pork Board is the same organization that gave us the "other white meat" campaign and also spearheaded the genetic re-engineering of pigs to produce a new generation of "healthy" pork chops that now have the taste and texture of shredded wheat - minus the milk.
Not only has the National Pork Board and its allies such as the American Meat Institute, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (Think about it, who do you think Babe, Arnold Ziffel and Gordy go to when they're sick?) have gone to great lengths to convince the public that the virus is transmitted by human-to-human contact rather than pork rinds-to-people.
As I write this blog, I have CNN on in the background and the news ticker and computer graphics are using the term H1N1 virus. The reporters are now using the name H1N1 interchangeably with the word swine flu.
Coincidence? I think not. Never underestimate the power of pork-fueled public relations.
Seriously, the National Pork Board is doing a great job in counteracting misconceptions regarding the origin of the virus, and in maintaining consumer confidence in the US food supply.
In case you've forgotten, the National Pork Board is the same organization that gave us the "other white meat" campaign and also spearheaded the genetic re-engineering of pigs to produce a new generation of "healthy" pork chops that now have the taste and texture of shredded wheat - minus the milk.
Not only has the National Pork Board and its allies such as the American Meat Institute, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (Think about it, who do you think Babe, Arnold Ziffel and Gordy go to when they're sick?) have gone to great lengths to convince the public that the virus is transmitted by human-to-human contact rather than pork rinds-to-people.
As I write this blog, I have CNN on in the background and the news ticker and computer graphics are using the term H1N1 virus. The reporters are now using the name H1N1 interchangeably with the word swine flu.
Coincidence? I think not. Never underestimate the power of pork-fueled public relations.
Seriously, the National Pork Board is doing a great job in counteracting misconceptions regarding the origin of the virus, and in maintaining consumer confidence in the US food supply.
