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Former USDA communications dir. remembers the cow that stole Christmas
A lesson from the past shows the quick release of accurate information can maintain public confidence in the U.S. food supply.
Alisa Harrison clearly remembers the afternoon of December 23, 2003. The former USDA communications director under Secretary Ann Veneman was preparing to take time off when she answered a call from the public affairs officer at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
“I remember clearly,” Harrison told Brownfield Ag News, “she said we have a presumptive positive on BSE, and I was almost just speechless.”
USDA staff had prepared extensively to quickly communicate with the public in case of an incident involving the U.S. food supply, according to Harrison. It was a lesson in decisive communication under such circumstances, said Harrison, who is now with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
“It showed me that the public is smart, the consumer is smart, and if you give them the information in a very transparent way, they’ll accept it, and they want to trust their government, they want to trust the information that the food industry has given to them,” said Harrison. “That’s a big responsibility.”
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