How The Web Makes Cleaner Kitchens

Ben Chapman, a molecular biologist, considers it a distinct honor to publish some of his academic findings on Barfblog.com and post scholarly writings in restaurant kitchens.

The N.C. State University assistant professor, who also publishes academic findings in peer-reviewed journals, is a food safety expert. His mission is to reduce gastrointestinal illnesses from microbes known to travel on raw or undercooked foods, including shellfish, fresh fruits and vegetables, ground beef, peanut butter and salami.
Each year, food-borne illnesses sicken about 76 million people in the United States, or 25 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most cases are mild, with vomiting and diarrhea lasting a day or two. But more than 300,000 people require hospitalization and about 5,000 die annually. These numbers have remained steady despite regular inspections, a flood of informational brochures and training workshops for food handlers.

So Chapman tried something different: weekly food safety information sheets with colorful pictures, stories, food handling tips and celebrity news he posts on Barfblog, which attracts about 10,000 visitors daily.

"Some things click with certain people," said Larry Michael, who works with Chapman as head of the state's food protection branch. "The more information … out there, the better."

Cris Harrelson, a state food defense coordinator, teamed with Chapman during a recent nationwide recall of salami after peppercorns used in the product tested positive for salmonella.

Chapman's flier – which went out to restaurants, day care centers, nursing homes, grocery stores and others – "was very consumer-friendly," Harrelson said. It was eye-catching and included photos of the product being recalled, he said.

Chapman was inspired by fliers posted above urinals in an Ontario sports bar near where he did his graduate work. Then he washed dishes in a university restaurant for three months, and learned that food handlers care about celebrities, music and pop culture.

When he posted the information sheets in kitchens where video cameras monitored how often 47 food handlers washed their hands and switched knives after cutting raw chicken, it turned out that "telling stories about food-borne illnesses and the consequences to food handlers makes a difference," he said.

Since conducting the study and moving to North Carolina, he's learned about other tools he plans to tap to get his message across – YouTube, mommyblogs and Twitter.

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