Describing me and Chapman as experts is like calling Doug and Bob McKenzie food safety professors.

But that’s what media does, especially when they need shortcuts. I’m grateful they still look me up, given that Kansas State University figured the stagecoaches would sink in the Pacific, so fired me for bad attendance.

Lynne Terry at The Oregonian highlighted my concerns about the efficacy of food safety messages that are continually recycled: “The last thing the food safety biz needs is more apologists promoting messages that don’t work.”

And Liz Szabo at USA Today cited me and Chapman for a top-5 food safety myths piece where we tried to establish an evidence-based record:

• color is not a reliable indicator of whether food is thoroughly cooked;

• vegetables and thoroughly cooked food can suffer cross-contamination and make people sick;

• organic or local veggies can also make you sick

• restaurant inspection reports and grades aren’t related to the likelihood of an outbreak;

• while low temperatures slow the growth of bacteria, some bacteria and viruses survive even subzero temperatures; and,

• fresh produce is linked to nearly half of all cases of foodborne illness — more than any other type of food, according to the CDC.