Interesting Info On Cross "contamination"

[mattathayde]

Open Original Shared Link

good little read and looks like something that will help people when talking to people in the food industry

-matt

[psawyer]

An interesting read, but I would argue that it is they who are misunderstanding the word.

Webster:

contaminate, v.t. to make impure, unclean, or corrupt by contact; to corrupt; to pollute; to sully; to tarnish; to taint.

Oxford:

contaminate, v.tr. make impure by contact or mixture; pollute.

To me, after reviewing those, "contaminate" describes perfectly what gluten does to our food.

[tarnalberry]

eh, one of the important parts of effective communication is speaking the language of the audience. if you want to use the "proper use" argument, we should not be using the term gluten as we do, because it technically refers to a whole lot more than wheat, barley, rye, and oats. but we use it because of history and context, and for some people it creates confusion. likewise, using "contaminate" in a restaurant can mislead them - if they 'speak a different language' - because they are hearing something different that you mean. I think this is a worthwhile one to keep in mind if there are any difficulties in communication about cross-contamination/cross-contact.

[oceangirl]

Good points all. Whatever works, however, to get the point across I shall employ...charades, hand puppets...

Thank you!

lisa.