The Singing Toxicologist

He's been referred to as the "Elvis of E. coli", the "Sinatra of Salmonella," and in this episode of MicrobeWorld Video the "singing toxicologist." Whatever you call him, Carl Winter, Extension Food Toxicologist and Director of the FoodSafe Program at UC Davis, performs parodies of contemporary popular music by modifying lyrics to address food safety issues such as bacterial contamination, irradiation, biotechnology, government regulation, and pesticides. The goal of his songs is to provide science-based food safety information in a fun, accessible way. Thanks to a grant from the USDA, Dr. Winter is now studying how to integrate his music into traditional food safety education programs.


Dr. Winter's music goes beyond simply educating those who work with food and in this video he shares some of his tips to empower the everyday consumer looking to prevent the spread of foodborne illness.