Posted: April 20th, 2010 - 8:31pm by Doug Powell

The authors at the blog site, Defending Food Safety, need a lesson in microbiology.

One of them, some lawyer, Shawn Stevens, really comes across as a douchebag.

A microbiologically-challenged douchebag.

He runs this Defending Food Safety website, which is full of facts, but the kind not referenced in peer-reviewed journals but in his (and his clients’) mind.

He says in his latest missive that,

“If we are really serious about reducing food-borne (sic) illness, however, such initiatives and regulations are only one part of the overall equation. Much greater progress can likely be achieved – more quickly – if more consumers recognize the importance of properly handling and preparing raw animal foods. If all consumers can be educated to assume raw chicken, meat and eggs carry bacteria that can cause illness, to take additional precautions to avoid cross-contamination, and to cook all raw animal products to a safe temperature, consumers can significantly reduce their risk of becoming ill. In this regard, better “Educated People” will more quickly and readily translate into far more “Healthy People.”

What would Socrates say about the gap between reality and rhetoric for any of these food safety lawyer types? Like most, this dude needs an editor. Consumers don’t want to be educated. But I look forward to Stevens advocating toxic waste handling labels on all raw meat. Big, scary labels. And dangerous microorganisms are present on all raw foods, like potatoes and carrots and cantaloupes, not just animal proteins.