I love to eat! I try to be a conscious consumer and am extremely careful about what I put inside my body. However, I never considered that my, so called, “healthy choices” could make me very sick. That was, until I took a job with S.T.O.P.

I was shocked to learn that many foods available to consumers contain foodborne pathogens, such as E. coli and salmonella. These microbes are impossible to see with the naked eye, and are never featured on an ingredient list. The more involved I became with S.T.O.P., and the more I learned about the lapses in laws, the angrier I became. It should not be up to the consumer to determine which bags of spinach are pathogen-free, and which could potentially infect people with debilitating, and even fatal, illnesses. Our food safety system is broken, and I intend to help S.T.O.P. fix it.

A few months ago I was fortunate enough to meet several inspiring victims of foodborne disease. I traveled with them to our Nation’s Capitol, where we discussed the importance of safe food with our senators and pushed for government reform to help make it a reality. I was particularly struck by one young woman’s story. Lauren was sickened by E. coli-contaminated spinach in the fall of 2006, at the age of twenty. She nearly lost her life. While hearing her story I realized we were the same age. I ate countless salads in that same time-frame. I could have, just as easily, eaten tainted spinach. I kept thinking “It could have been me.” It shouldn’t be anyone!

We all just celebrated Thanksgiving. We sat with friends and family members and shared a great meal. And we probably didn’t give much thought to “how safe the food was.” To be honest, that’s how it should be. But it’s not. Every single day 14 Americans will die from something they eat. Please join with me in helping to change that statistic. I ask you today to please help me reach my goal by making a donation to my page. Right now a generous donor, Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs has agreed to match all contributions (up to $10,000) so your gift goes even further. Thank you in advance for your support!

-Gail