The leaders of the industry gathered at the Center for Produce Safety's Annual Symposium in June to discuss food safety and<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">began by putting a face to the science that powers their efforts. This is Dana's story.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Dana and Colette Dziadul were invited to the Center for Produce Safety's Annual Symposium to share Dana's struggle with Salmonella Poona blood poisoning. When Dana was three years old, she ate a contaminated cantaloupe and contracted Salmonella Poona blood poisoning. Doctors regarded her illness as a virus, but when Dana remained sick and in pain, Dana's family brought her to the emergency room where after several days its was finally confirmed that she had Salmonella Poona. Because it had gone undetected for so long, it became Salmonella Poona blood poisoning.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">For the Dziaduls, it is important for the industry and the public to hear their message because people are still becoming ill from food safety issues. Dana and her mother were very involved with the advocacy for the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2010. One of the main reasons that the Dziaduls became involved in that Act was because of the produce aspect of that Act. Cantaloupe was the vehicle for Dana's illness, and the Dziaduls believe that produce needs to be rigorously tested for safety, whether it originated in the U.S. or is being imported into the U.S.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Thank you, Dana and Colette Dziadul for sharing your story with us.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
