Posted: December 25th, 2009 - 9:47pm by Doug Powell

Yesterday’s USA Today reported that ratings for food shows on television are booming – prime-time numbers for the Food Network are up 29 per cent this year to a new record – yet every time I flip by, the stars suck at food safety.

We chronicled all this stuff back in 2004, but it’s time to redo the study and see if there have been any improvements.
 
Programmers say a recessionary trend toward home entertaining has driven the genre. "Culturally right now, food is a comfort device," says TLC chief Eileen O'Neill.

There’s no comfort in barfing.