Episode 4 of Food Safety Talk. In which Ben and Don can't mesh their schedules, so Don interviews Michael Batz, who turns out to be just as big a food safety nerd as Don or Ben. Like certain other podcasters, Batz insisted on using WiFi rather than a wired Ethernet connection as suggested by the experts. Although he promised to "sit real close" to his wireless base station, the quality of the call degrades toward the end. Don was prepared to drop in a few choice sound effects in case Mike dropped out completely, but in the end everything Mike had to say made it into the recording.
- University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute where Mike Batz works.
- Mike used to live in Baltimore, where The Wire was set and shot.
- Mike has degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, which is in Pittsburg. Loudon Wainwright III has a song about Pittsburg. The movie The Wonderboys is also set in Pittsburg. The trailer is available on you tube. For the record it's only professors in the humanities that get to walk around in their bathrobes and smoke dope.
- Mike does a mean cover of I Wanna Be Sedated by the Ramones. Ask him to show you some time.
- The Ranking the Risks report that forms the basis of the interview.
- A direct link to the full report
- CSPI’s top 10 from 2009, upon which that Women’s Day article was based.
- The Journal of Food Protection where much of the high quality food safety research is published.
- “I hate writing, I love having written.” ― Dorothy Parker
- A different podcast about writing, sometimes.
- Bill Marler, who Don seems to mention every time he does a podcast.
- The all important Scallan papers, that updated the previous paper by Mead et al..
- The case-control study on Toxoplasma gondii mentioned in the interview and a full copy of the entire article
- USDA lowers pork cooking temperatures. There is at least one paper on heat inactivation of toxoplasma, which seems to suggest that the USDA's decision has a minimal effect on risk.
- The case-control study on Campylobacter and the full version
- “I know it when I see it”. I though Batz was a kindred spirt. This seals the deal. Plus the Ramones thing.
- Listeria in cantaloupe which briefly comes up at the end of the podcast.
- The podcaster approved headphones that all food safety talk guest are required to purchase.
- The song about Pittsburgh that Batz was going to bring up, but which he couldn’t remember the exact name of.