ON TV AND VIDEO

TV: KVIE Channel 6 is presenting Better Safe Than Sorry as part of the station’s public affairs program Viewfinder. The schedule lists three presentations of Better Safe Than Sorry, at these dates and times:

• Wednesday, March 28 — 7 p.m.
• Friday, March 30 — 4 p.m.
• Sunday, April 1 — 6 p.m.

VIDEO: Beginning Thursday (March 29), look for a link to the video from the UC Davis home page.

A UC Davis-produced video documentary highlighting the university's role in making food safer and healthier will premiere next Wednesday (March 28) on KVIE television, Sacramento’s Public Broadcasting System station.

The nearly 30-minute piece, titled Better Safe Than Sorry: A Focus on Food, features the work of a number of researchers across campus. It tells the story of one of the families caught in the deadly 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach, and how UC Davis and the fresh-produce industry have partnered to prevent future outbreaks, and to enhance the safety, quality and taste of the food supply.

University Communications, in collaboration with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, produced the video with support from Agilent Technologies Inc. The company, which manufactures electronic and bioanalytical measurement equipment, also supports campus research with funding and equipment.

“This program showcases one of UC Davis’ greatest strengths — food science — in the two critically important areas of food safety and quality,” said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“Food production is a huge portion of California’s economy, and cutting-edge science helps ensure the high quality of the food the state produces and maintains our competitive advantage in a global economy.”

Lenore Kelly, food biochemist at Agilent, said her company’s food team “is taking a new approach to use our analytical capabilities to protect the security and safety of the food supply.”

“I treasure the professional friendships I have developed here on campus and have found our technical discussions to be intellectually stimulating,” Kelly said. “We believe it’s really important for the growers, producers and suppliers here in California to be made aware of the tremendous resource that UC Davis has put together to offer to the community.”

UC Davis researchers appearing in the program: Alyson Mitchel of the Department of Food Science and Technology; Susan Ebeler of the Department of Viticulture and Enology; Gayle Crisosto of the Department of Plant Sciences; and Rob Atwill and Michelle Jay Russell, both of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.

“I was impressed by how well the video showcased the partnerships that we at UC Davis have with the industries and commodity groups in California,” Ebeler said. “It tells a great story of how we are all working together to ensure a safe, healthy and flavorful food supply for consumers.

“We truly appreciate Agilent’s support for research efforts on campus and for their contributions that made the video possible,” she said.