--- title: "Seattle Times: Seattle food-safety attorney Bill Marler does not eat these foods – do you?" date: 2023-02-26T17:08:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/seattle-times-seattle-food-safety-attorney-bill-marler-does-not-eat-these-foods-do-you" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Firm News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/firm-news) / # Seattle Times: Seattle food-safety attorney Bill Marler does not eat these foods – do you? **The Seattle Times** | By Sandy Doughton | Feb. 24, 2023 ![](https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-25-at-10.52.26-AM-640x424.png)People in the food industry used to call attorney Bill Marler a blood-sucking ambulance chaser. Now they honor him for 30 years spent fighting to improve food safety. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) IN JULY 1990, I wrote a story for The News Tribune in Tacoma that was headlined: “There may be a bug in that burger.” The state epidemiologist and a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital had warned that a dangerous strain of E. coli might infect humans through undercooked hamburger, and that it was particularly dangerous to children. Talk about foreshadowing. THE MAINSTORY [30 years after the deadly E. coli outbreak, a Seattle attorney still fights for food safety](https://www.seattletimes.com/?p=15733265)As the Jack in the Box outbreak began unfolding in early 1993, I helped my colleague Elaine Porterfield cover the story. I’ve been extremely careful about food safety ever since. I thoroughly wash my hands and cutting boards and utensils. I never rinse raw chicken, which can send salmonella-laden droplets flying through the air. And yes; I’m that obnoxious person who sends back pink-in-the-middle hamburgers. But I hadn’t ruled out many types of food until I asked food safety attorney Bill Marler what he won’t eat. Understandably, hamburgers were on his family’s “no way” list for years. Now, he’ll occasionally order one — well-done, of course — because the odds of dangerous contamination have been lowered dramatically. But these things still never pass his lips: ● **Unpasteurized milk or juice.** One of Marler’s first post-Jack in the Box cases was against Odwalla, whose unpasteurized apple juice triggered an E. coli outbreak in 1996 that killed a 16-month-old girl and sickened at least 70 people. The CDC says [unpasteurized milk](https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/raw-milk.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html) contaminated with bacteria and viruses caused 75 outbreaks between 2013 and 2018. ● **Raw sprouts.** “The warm, humid conditions needed to grow sprouts are also ideal for germs to grow,” [says the CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html#:~:text=Eating%20raw%20or%20lightly%20cooked,the%20chance%20of%20food%20poisoning.). All types — alfalfa, mung bean, clover and radish — can harbor dangerous bacteria in their seeds, Marler explains. ● **Meat that isn’t well-done.** Marler orders steaks well-done, despite nasty looks from chefs and waiters. Thorough cooking is especially important for ground and tenderized meat, where pathogens can be mixed in. ● **Bagged salads, precut or prewashed fruits and vegetables.** “Convenience is great, but sometimes I think it isn’t worth the risk,” says Marler. The risk of contamination rises with the degree of processing — and packaged vegetables are highly processed and highly risky if eaten raw. ● **Raw or undercooked eggs.** Regulations adopted more than a decade ago have lowered the risk of salmonella in raw eggs — but contamination can [still happen,](https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/salmonella-and-eggs.html#:~:text=Chickens%20and%20other%20live%20poultry,eggs%20properly%20to%20prevent%20illness.) says Marler, who continues to eat his eggs well-cooked. ● **Raw oysters and other raw shellfish.** The incidence of foodborne illness linked to [raw oysters](https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html#:~:text=Eating%20raw%20or%20lightly%20cooked,the%20chance%20of%20food%20poisoning.) seems to be increasing, Marler says, possibly due to warming waters. As filter feeders, oysters can easily pick up dangerous microbes. “It’s simply not worth the risk.” ***Sandi Doughton:*** *206-464-2491 or* [*sdoughton@seattletimes.com*](mailto:sdoughton@seattletimes.com)*; on Twitter:* [*@SandiDoughton*](https://www.twitter.com/SandiDoughton)*.* ### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all) [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all) [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all) [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all) [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all) [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all) [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all) [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all) [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all) [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all) ### Lawsuits updates by year [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? 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