Revised Barf Blog: A Humorous Insight into the Food Industry

Barf Blog is successful in neatly displaying information written for both the average person and the highly respected doctor. That being said, some of the blogs and blog categories appear to be off topic from the subject of food safety. Those blogs that are focused succeed in letting the everyday person know what scary things might be lurking in the deep depths of their freezer. In today’s world, big food companies are hesitant to release recalls on their products unless they are absolutely sure—with the purpose of preventing panic. Barf Blog is not a big company. Instead, the creators of this blog have created an easy way for the people to find out what’s really going on their pantry.

The public tends to be attracted to a visually appealing website. Barf Blog succeeds in doing this. Yes, the name seems at first a little gross, but the clean layout and earthy color pallet convinces the reader otherwise.  Once the layout draws the reader in, the relatable blogs on the very first tab will hold his attention. Whether you become paranoid about the frozen berries you had in your smoothie this morning or are drawn in by the research that says picking your noise might be good for you, you’ll want to read more.  Once a reader has entered the blog section of the website, she can explore a world of topics—and I literally mean a world. One can read about steak tartare (complete with a Mr. Bean video) and then read the blog entitled “Poop Doggy Dog Part II,” regarding Salmonella found in dog food. Have a question on food or where it comes from? Chances are you can find a blog or Infosheet. The doctors who write the blogs present the information in a humorous manner--hence the "Poop Doggy" title. This widens the audience to young people who may not be initially interested in food or diseases like E. Coli. 

At first glance, it may seem like the blogs are written by normal people with an interest in food safety. One blog written by Doug Powell starts off with how he had to explain what sequestration was to his mother—not exactly how a typical medical paper starts off. When reading this blog, I could picture myself having to explain the exact same thing to my own mother. We all have those moments. If you still have any doubt regarding the credibility of the blogs, the 'About Us' tab explains the qualifications of the doctors that post—they constantly argue with each other and make sure that they are all on the very top of their game in regards to keeping facts straight and not misleading the public. Knowing that the information comes from doctors and not just random people blogging in their free time gives the reader a sense of security in the information given. Listen people, these doctors actually know what they’re talking about.

Despite the credibility and wide variety of information on food, a few of the categories are, for lack of a better phrase, wacky and weird. One of these sections is in fact called the “Wacky and Weird” category, in which there is a selection of both war and biting soccer player articles. I will give the website credit for the name of this category, for it is indeed wacky and weird. I do appreciate the attempt to gain an audience through different interests, but I believe the same result could have been achieved through the other blogs about food related topics. These random blogs caused confusion, and although still written by doctors, detracted from the overall credibility. Despite the few arbitrary posts, Barf Blog exposes the inner workings of the food industry. It can help us all think twice about eating whatever food ends up on our plate or about eating the frozen tator tots or the questionable food in the plastic casing. This blog can help us stay safe in whatever food endeavors we choose.