Food poisoning expert won’t eat these things and suggest you don’t either

Being a lawyer that is also an expert on Food safety means that you probably are not invited to a lot of dinner parties. After 20 years handling cases of E. coli and Salmonella, Washington-based attorney, Bill Marler, is likely to be fine with that.

Dedicating most of his professional career to fighting for people that have been stricken down by foodborne illness had had a side effect. The side effect being that there are six things he will never eat, and suggests you don’t either.

Raw Oysters
There are a lot of people that claim to love this seafood treat, and many that can’t stand it, but the numbers don’t lie. Bill has had more cases because of Raw Oysters in the last five years than in the last two decades combined.

Precut or prewashed fruits and veggies
The fruit and veggies themselves are fine; it’s the handlers that you have to be wary of. Bill says you should always wash and prepare your fruit and veggies because the chance of getting sick is less. While those fruit cups look nice in the shop window, it might have been prepared with dirty hands so Bill says that’s a “never do”.

Raw sprouts
While they are a crunchy and healthy addition to a salad but the way they are prepared might leave more than just a bad taste in your mouth. During the germination process, the seeds are placed in warm water baths which Bill says is a “breeding ground for bacteria.” The chances are low, but the 30 cases he has handled over the last 20 years keeps these little greens off his plate.

Rare meat
This one might cause a bit of controversy as there are many people that swear by rare meat. While Bill says it’ll only be well-done steak for him, many chefs and experts say that medium rare is still perfectly fine, but that blue steak should be avoided.

Uncooked eggs
While it might have been good enough for Rocky Balboa, Bill does concede that the odds of getting food poisoning from uncooked eggs have substantially lowered in the last 20-years, he’s still not risking it.

Unpasteurized milk and juices
While a lot of people will try to tell you that unpasteurized milk and juice is more natural and better for you, Bill is not convinced. He even told the Daily Mail “There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurisation”.

What do you think of Bill’s list? Are there things on the list that you will avoid? Do you think it’s a load of nonsense?