The CDC explains the key facts of the outbreak in very simple terms, and is well worth reading: you can't get H1NI Swine Flu from bacon, the ham is safe and trust the sausage.

Protocols (and our strict company policy) dictate pork to be cooked past 160 F anyway. There is no way that I will miss out on the first BLT of the summer, and yet all three ingredients have been associated with negativity during just the last year. Tomatoes in July 2008, Lettuce in September 2008, and now pork by association. 

It appears, albeit very early in the investigation, that this outbreak (pandemic?) started in a village near a large hog facility close to Oaxaca, Mexico. If this is the likely fact, we will still need large scale food production capabilities to supply the world's hunger when the scare is over.

I am an advocate of local food, in support of local communities and the prosperity it brings. I am also an advocate for a robust global food supply, in support of feeding our global community and the prosperity it brings. Contradictory? I don't think so. Both ideologies meet in the middle, where the balance of economy and availability collide. 

Kathleen Sebelius was just confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration. She comes in at a time when the US, and the world, is ready for a new focus on how we produce, ship and handle food from farm to table. I am very interested in strengthening our food supply controls and am hopeful Secretary Sebelius will lead with the conviction of a committed food enthusiast.    

Read more details here:

www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htmc

Brad Nelson is the vice president culinary and corporate chef of Marriott International, he has worked to build an international culinary team that continues to raise the bar in dining.

He takes his respect for nature's simple, clean flavors and instill it into the philosophy of the numerous kitchens he oversees.

www.chefblog.marriott.com/aboutBrad