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Pork Industry Pushes Name Change For Swine Flu

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Apr 30, 2009 7:23 pm US/Eastern

Pork Industry Pushes Name Change For Swine Flu

SARVER (KDKA) ― The swine flu outbreak has some consumers staying away from buying pork products - even though health officials have made it clear that there is no relationship between the illness and eating pork.

Most consumers in our area seem to understand that.

Even so, U.S. officials and the World Health Organization are trying to change the name to "H1N1 virus" or the "North American virus."

Dave Heilman runs Heilman's Hogwash Farm in Sarver, Butler County. Along with his sons Braden and Jarrett, they raise pigs with no hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides or herbicides and no swine flu.

All of Dave's products are sold at local stores and restaurants - but even though health officials keep repeating that swine flu is not a food borne illness - some countries are already banning U.S. and Mexican pork.

"I am somewhat sympathetic to that - but at the same time that's why we do what we do," he said.

And that is, buy local - buy fresh.

But the pork industry wants the government to stop referring to the infection as swine flu which is a misnomer because the current virus is part hog, part avian and part human.

It is evident that even President Obama is trying to do his part, referring to it as the H1N1 virus during his nationally-televised press conference.
 
By using H1N1, pork producers hope to contain any further anti-swine backlash.

"We have a Farmer's Market that's opening up Mother's Day weekend and we'll be seeing what the impact is," Heilman said.

Meanwhile, at the Six Penn Kitchen downtown, every table was filled at lunchtime, and Executive Chef Keith Fuller has no intention of taking the pulled pork sandwich off the menu.

"I use a lot of pork. I make my own bacon, I make my own ham - and since [the flu] has come out I have not seen a drop in business," Fuller said.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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