Study Finds Most Effective Food Safety Technique Just Eating It And Seeing What Happens

AMHERST, MA—Shedding new light on the identification of foodborne illnesses, a study published Wednesday by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that the most effective food safety technique was just eating it and seeing what happens. “Whether you found a weird speck floating in your heavy cream or left your lasagna leftovers sitting out on the counter overnight, we found that in nine cases out of 10, the best course of action was to just try it,” said food scientist and study co-author Fletcher Teichmann, who touted the technique as much simpler and easier to remember than traditional methods such as using a digital thermometer, minding sell-by dates, and smelling. “Why not? Take a bite, and within a few hours you’ll know. If you manage to digest it without being hospitalized, then the food is probably perfectly safe for eating. On the other hand, if you find yourself curled into a ball on the floor, then you can conclude the food probably wasn’t safe.” At press time, Teichmann noted that an added bonus was you got to eat the food.