Dave wrote: <<I also believe that the environment is even more important as "germs" require a very specific environment in which to flourish. Cooked meat and raw meat provide very different environments.>> Yes. Generally raw meat "inspects itself" because spoilage bacteria outcompete pathogenic bacteria. Because spoilage bacteria are mostly killed during cooking, subsequent contamination of cooked meat from pathogenic bacteria will rapidly grow to an infective dose. Raw meat today is not the same as raw meat in the paleolithic period. Stresses associated with "factory" farming has lead to the development of more invasive and pathogenic strains of bacteria and viruses and faster dissemination of the pathogens throughout the herd/flock. In addition, large scale slaughtering operations can also lead to large scale contamination problems because of cross contamination with equipment and utensils. About 1/3 of all supermarket poultry is contaminated with salmonella or camplylobacter bacteria. Ground beef is frequently contaminated with E. coli. Shellfish - otherwise know as "filter feeders" - concentrate pathogenic bacteria and viruses, and heavy metals in contaminated water. Wild boar, pork, or bear is a known host for the parasite trichonella spiralis. With the exception of trichonella, the contamination of all of these raw meats may be a function of the environment in which the animal/fish was raised. "Factory" farming has created unhealthy living conditions. As an exception, Sweden restricts salmonella and camplylobacter contamination of poultry on the farm. If one bird is found infected, the whole flock is destroyed. As a result, supermarket poultry is virtually free of pathogens. In North America, however, we place the onus or responsibility on the consumer. We employ the consumer to cook raw meat to a minimum of 170-180 F in order to kill pathogenic microorganisms. Meanwhile, everything that comes in contact with the infected meat also becomes contaminated, except that these surfaces (ex. cutting boards, hands, utensils...) are not necessarily subject to heating or cleaning/sanitizing to kill the pathogens. Irradiation is an attempt to kill pathogens in raw meat products with minimal changes to the nutritional quality of the product (according to irradiation proponents). Irradiating ground beef, for example, will save many children's lives every year who otherwise die of E. coli 0157:H7 food poisoning. This invasive, toxigenic organism also causes many cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome and the subsequent loss of kidney function and lifelong dialysis use. Try telling the parent of a child who died of an E. coli 0157:H7 infection that raw meat (ex. undercooked hamburger) is safe to eat! Never-the-less, in my opinion, a better approach is to upgrade living conditions for farm animals to the point where widespread infections with pathogens is virtually eliminated. Food poisoning from plants can normally only occur if the plant was cross-contaminated with hands, utensils, or equipment in contact with infected raw meat, unless one eats a know poisonous plant such as a poisonous mushroom. Incidentally, infection with parasites may not be all bad. The Eades suggest that before the turn of this century, most humans were infected with parasites, that, among other things, caused a slow intestinal bleeding. This bleeding helped keep iron levels in check, especially in men, who otherwise have only a modest sloughing in the intestine to prevent iron stores from going too high. Excess iron stores - as evaluated by ferritin levels - is associated with insulin resistance and the "diseases of civilization". Rob