A monthly conversation outlet now exists for community members and students to discuss their concerns and questions about recent food-safety outbreaks.

About 10 K-State faculty members, students and community members attended the first monthly Food Science Café on Monday night at Bluestem Bistro. Douglas Powell, scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at K-State, moderated the discussion.

The purpose of the monthly discussions is to talk about food safety and science in a different setting than a classroom, said Powell, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology.

Powell showed his meat thermometer to those in attendance, and said it is important to get a digital, instant-read, tip-sensitive meat thermometer, which costs about $12.

"Lots of people use it for whole birds or roasts, but I think it's more important actually for the burgers and the ground beef," Powell said. "Ten years ago I would have never used one, but now I feel naked when I don't - I feel vulnerable."

When he is asked at a restaurant how he would like his hamburger cooked, Powell said he responds he would like it "160," meaning he would like it cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Food color often is a poor indicator of when it is properly cooked, Powell said. K-State food-safety research has found about 25 percent of tested hamburgers turned brown before they reached a safe temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

The International Food Safety Network at K-State is a group of people committed to reducing the incidence of food-borne illnesses. The network provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information about food-safety issues, according to its Web site.

The network also releases "info sheets" weekly about different food-safety issues across the United States and Canada. The most recent info sheet, which was released Thursday, states that thousands of diners at a Calgary, Alberta, McDonald's might have been exposed to the Hepatitis A virus from Oct. 1-23.

The International Food Safety Network started the info sheets about two years ago. Their purpose is to provide food-service workers with information about certain situations in food safety, Powell said.

"We're always just trying to find one way to put information out and take information in," he said. "We're just always trying to find new ways to get it out there so we have fewer sick people."

The network also has several blogs at www.donteatpoop.k-state.edu and barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu. Powell also wore a T-shirt Monday night that said "ne mangez pas de caca," which is French for "Don't eat poop."

"It's had more effect than anything else," Powell said of the message.

Angela Dodd, senior in food science, said Food Science Café discussions are an interactive way for students to get involved with nationally and internationally known speakers.

"I think it's a great way for students to become aware of what's going on in the media about food safety," she said. "Food pertains to everybody, and it's a part of everybody's life.

"I think being aware of the food that you eat and the process it goes through from farm to fork is important. Everybody has a responsibility in food safety, and I don't think everybody realizes that."