Guelph Faculty Make Headlines
September 01, 2013 - In the News
University of Guelph professor Sylvain Charlebois, College of Management and Economics, was interviewed by CTV News Channel for a report on the illnesses caused by the “cronut burger” sold at the Canadian National Exhibition. Charlebois commented on the possible causes of the illness, how the bacterium has no odour and is not visible to the consumer, and what a situation such as this means for the food industry going forward.
The cronut stayed in the news, with Prof. Keith Warriner discussing the toxin that caused the illnesses with the Toronto Star. The toxin was found in the maple bacon jam that was spread on the top bun. Warriner, director of the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Program at Guelph, talked about how the toxin produced from Staphylococus is heat-resistant. He also speculated that there could be a range of causes for the toxin growing.
Prof. Timothy Dewhirst, Marketing and Consumer Studies, was interviewed by the National Post for a story on the financial impact for industry if marijuana was legalized. Dewhirst, an expert in tobacco marketing and public policy, noted that the tobacco industry would likely have some interest in selling marijuana if it was legalized. He also noted that some documents released over the years in the United States show that tobacco production infrastructure could be adapted to marijuana production.
Forest ecology professor Ze’ev Gedalof was interviewed for a story on a wildfire in Yosemite National Park and its impact on giant sequoias by GlobalNews.ca. There has been some concern that the fires could devastate groves of the massive trees, which date back 1,800 years. Gedalof said that the trees have thick bark and few lower branches, making them more fire resistant and likely to withstand the fires. He said that even if the trees did get burned by the fire, seedlings would take root and the sequoias would one day rise again, though without the ecological history of the ancient trees.
