Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast

Jaksot

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  The Food Safety Blame Game: Cyclospora, Taylor Farms, and Who Really Pays | Episode 184 15.09.2026 35min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Over 30,000 confirmed Cyclospora cases this summer, and the CDC's own math says the real number could be over a million. So why did it take so long to get straight answers about where it came from?In this episode of Don't Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine tear into the Cyclospora outbreak tied to Taylor Farms lettuce and Taco Bell, and the industry-wide habit of pointing fingers instead of fixing problems. They break down how the contamination likely happened, why Taylor Farms' size makes it nearly impossible to avoid its product, and what Roger Hancock's crisis-communication playbook gets right.Spoiler alert: the companies that survive an outbreak aren't the ones that dodge blame, they're the ones that communicate fast and own it.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 The Food Safety Blame Game💩 00:08:51 The Real Cyclospora Outbreak Numbers💩 00:11:10 How Cyclospora Likely Got Onto The Lettuce💩 00:13:52 Taylor Farms, Private Label Confusion, And Dodging Blame💩 00:17:37 Article: What Restaurants Can Learn From The Lettuce Recall💩 00:21:43 Supply Chain Consolidation And "Too Big To Fail"💩 00:26:02 Restaurant Recall Plan: Communicate Quickly And Clearly, Or Lose Consumer Trust💩 00:30:49 Taco Bell Vs. Taylor Farms: A Case Study In Doing It Right💩 00:33:36 Why Mock Recalls Fall Apart Under PressureDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeWhat Restaurants Can Learn From the Lettuce Recall:  https://www.fsrmagazine.com/feature/what-restaurants-can-learn-from-the-lettuce-recall/ Episodes with Roger Hancock:Creating a Recall-Ready Food Safety Industry | Episode 42All Recalls Are Not the Same, But Here’s How You Can Be Ready For When One Comes with Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink | Episode 114How the FDA Wants YOU to Fix Food Safety Recalls with Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink | Episode 126Noteworthy quotes from this episode“Today's topic is the food safety blame game, and the industry has been doing this probably since its inception.” – Matt Regusci“Can we just stop arguing about whose fault it was and try to figure it out?” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  2026 Outbreak Overload: 21 Recalls & More Than 30,000 Sick | Episode 183 08.09.2026 34min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Cyclospora cases have topped 30,000. Eggs, jalapeños, blueberries, and infant formula are all being recalled at the same time. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine ask the question everyone's TikTok feed is already joking about: is there anything left in the food pyramid that hasn't been recalled?The episode walks through every major outbreak of the summer, one pathogen at a time, before digging into the supply chain quirk (the terminal market) that makes some recalls nearly impossible to fully contain.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 The New Food Pyramid💩 00:05:16 2026 Outbreak Update by Pathogen💩 00:09:21 Driscoll And The PFAS Strawberry Whistleblower💩 00:11:02 The Egg Recall: 19 Million Eggs💩 00:14:01 Salmonella In Jalapeños Hits Over Two Dozen States💩 00:17:28 How Consolidation Created The Terminal Market Workaround💩 00:21:51 Who's Liable When A Recall Traces Back To A Terminal Market💩 00:29:52 Starbucks Sandwiches And A Trunk Full Of Egg SaladDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeThe FDA Is Investigating 11 Foodborne Outbreaks Right Now — Here’s What to Know About Each One: https://www.foodandwine.com/fda-foodborne-outbreak-investigations-12034027 CDC Current Outbreaks: https://www.cdc.gov/foodborne-outbreaks/outbreaks/index.html Get the Facts: Is the number of food recalls rising? What data shows: https://www.kcra.com/article/us-food-recalls-trend-analysis/73415731 Noteworthy quotes from this episode“Francine and I do not lack content, but we would really like it if these outbreaks came out every other month or so, so we could keep up with them.” – Matt Regusci“We'd be talking about the eggs right now if the lettuce wasn't so bad because the eggs are bad, too. The lettuce is so bad that the eggs are kinda just sliding under the radar.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Cyclospora Outbreak: Why the White House Went Silent | Episode 182 01.09.2026 32min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Nearly 21,000 Americans are confirmed sick with Cyclospora, and three different government sources can't agree on the actual number. When the administration finally addressed it, the best they offered was a joke. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine break down what accountability was supposed to look like, and the eight concrete fixes still sitting on someone's desk.They walk through the math behind the conflicting case counts, why the government's own numbers may be undercounting sick Americans by a factor of 10 or more, and the specific policy changes that could stop the next outbreak from disappearing into a spreadsheet.Spoiler alert: the real number of people sick could be well over a million, and nobody in Washington wants to say so.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 Bill Marler's Article: Govt’s Response to Cyclospora💩 00:06:09 CDC's Three Conflicting Case Counts💩 00:08:32 The Government’s Flawed Food Safety Advice💩 00:09:48 The White House's Silence So Far💩 00:11:15 Extrapolating The Cyclospora Case Count💩 00:13:42 Eight Recommended Fixes For The FDA💩 00:19:51 Reviving The Microbiological Data Program💩 00:24:48 FSMA 204 And The Water Rule💩 00:29:06 The Economic Cost Of OutbreaksDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeUse the code POOP for 25% off the Food Safety Consortium Conference: https://www.eventleaf.com/e/FoodSafetyConsortium Check out the article we’re discussing in this episode: Food Safety News: The Fifty-State Cyclospora Count Is 20,927 This Morning. The President Has Said One Thing About It. The Secretary Says It Is Under Control. Here Is What They Should Have Said Instead.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“ I do believe the states should be able to make their own laws, but I do think that the federal government should also have laws pertaining to food safety, and those laws should be statistics.” – Matt Regusci“Food safety's not political. We're talking about people's well-being.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Taylor Farms Cyclospora Outbreak: Epidemiology and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Episode 181 25.08.2026 38min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Over 20,000 people sick, five different versions of the same denial, and a produce giant that helped write the very traceability rules it's now dodging. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop! Matt and Francine dig into the Cyclospora outbreak tied to Taylor Farms lettuce and the Taco Bell connection everyone's talking about.They break down how Bill Marler builds a case against a company, why epidemiology (not a lab test) is what actually proves where an outbreak came from, and why Taco Bell's fast, transparent response is saving its reputation while Taylor Farms' spin is making things worse.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 Lettuce Ordering Mishaps💩 00:05:05 Bill Marler's IAFP Article and Cyclospora Update💩 00:10:32 How Epidemiology Proves an Outbreak's Source💩 00:13:31 Taco Bell vs. Taylor Farms' Response on Cyclospora💩 00:17:12 The Jensen Farms Cantaloupe Case💩 00:21:02 Lettuce Sales Drop 20%💩 00:22:35 Taylor Farms' Shifting Statements💩 00:26:38 Taylor Farms Helped Write the Traceability Rules It's Now Sidestepping💩 00:30:52 Why Taylor Farms Will Be Remembered in This OutbreakDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeUse the code POOP for a 25% discount for the Food Safety Consortium Conference: https://www.eventleaf.com/e/FoodSafetyConsortium Take a look at the Bill Marler articles mentioned in this episode:At IAFP I Was Told It Was American Sewage, Not Mexican Lettuce. That Gets the Parasite Half Right and the Continent Entirely Wrong. Here Is Everything Taco Bell Has Said About Cyclospora. The Company Was Already Pulling Lettuce When It Told Reporters Nothing Had Been Confirmed. Taylor Farms Has Now Written Five Different Versions of the Same Statement. The Newest One Says It Ran Two Thousand Samples and Found Nothing. Ohio Just Added 1,437 Cyclospora Cases in a Week and the Fifty-State Count Crossed Twenty Thousand.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“If you needed a positive test for a product to confirm that product really was sold and consumed and got that person sick, consumers would rarely get compensated for anything. And you don't. In food safety law, epidemiology works.” – Matt Regusci“I'm astounded at the arguments that people are coming up with about why it's not and why it can't be Taylor Farms when there's so much evidence pointing to the fact that it is.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Closing the Food Safety Culture Gap: Data, Training & AI with Azure Edwards of Pacific Blue Horizon Group | Episode 180 18.08.2026 45min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Food safety culture has been the industry's favorite buzzword for years, but what does it actually look like once you're standing on the production floor? Food safety writer and consultant Azure Edwards joins Francine and Matt to talk about the real gap between the policies companies write down and the decisions people make when the pressure is on to get product out the door. This episode covers training, data feedback loops, and where AI genuinely helps versus where it falls short. Spoiler alert: the industry's problem was never a lack of data. It's turning that data into something the floor and the C-suite can actually act on.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 Introducing Food Safety Consultant Azure Edwards💩 00:05:07 The Gap Between Training Requirements and Production Floor💩 00:06:31 Food Safety as a Business Structure💩 00:09:07 Building Actionable Modules for Food Safety Culture💩 00:10:44 Food Safety Data Feedback Loops💩 00:15:29 Why Floor-Level Reality Gets Diluted Before It Reaches Leadership💩 00:21:16 Getting Food Safety Into Decisions Earlier💩 00:28:15 Azure’s Career Across Produce, Beef, Seafood, and Lab Testing💩 00:35:18 Where AI Actually Helps in Food SafetyDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with Azure Edwards on LinkedIn and on her website (Pacific Blue Horizon Group). Azure’s Food Safety Tech Articles: https://foodsafetytech.com/?s=Azure+Edwards Azure’s Food Safety News Articles: The food industry’s training problem is the system it keeps paying forFood safety and the Campbell Soup CompanyEpisode discussing Azure’s article: The Failures of the Food Industry's Pizza and Stick Approach to Food Safety | Episode 154Noteworthy quotes from this episode“ When people are in a situation where they have to make a decision, it's gonna be the one that's gonna give them the result that they need, and oftentimes that's just getting it out the door and keeping their job.” – Azure EdwardsWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  FDA's New Director of Produce Safety: Can Dr. Donna Garren Make a Change? | Episode 179 11.08.2026 39min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.The FDA's top produce safety post sat empty for over a year, and when it comes to leafy greens, berries, and bagged salads, that's not a small gap. Now Dr. Donna Garren has the job, arriving with a three-decade resume that reads like a tour of nearly every food trade association in the country. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine ask the question nobody else seems to be asking: does the person in the seat actually change outcomes?This episode is a deep dive into Garren's career, what the Office of Produce Safety actually does, and whether decades of political skill can move an agency stuck in reactionary mode.Spoiler alert: She's not bringing a magic wand. She's bringing decades of relationship capital, and that might be exactly what this role needs.In this episode:00:00:00 Meet Dr. Donna Garren, FDA's New Director of Produce Safety00:04:25 Garren's Food Science Roots00:07:24 Two Decades of Lobbying00:17:55 What the Office of Produce Safety Actually Does00:22:57 Garren vs. Her Predecessor: Political Skill vs. Scientific Pedigree00:28:33 Stakeholder Engagement and Training ( Industry Outreach and Consensus-Building) 00:34:47 Translating Science for FarmersDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“I think the FDA has been in reactionary mode as opposed to preventative mode.” – Matt Regusci“You can't keep doing what we've been doing. You've gotta do something different.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Would You Eat It? Food Safety Risks Ranked | Episode 178 04.08.2026 25min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Fountain soda ice that turns pink overnight. Gas station sushi. A charcuterie board that's been sitting out since noon. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine play a rapid-fire game of "Would You Eat It?" testing real-world food safety risks like bacteria growth, mold contamination, and foodborne illness exposure against their own personal judgment calls.From the five-second rule to bulging cans of chicken broth (a classic botulism red flag), the hosts debate food expiration dates, cross-contamination, safe food handling, and where their personal risk tolerance lines actually sit. Spoiler alert: even two food safety experts have their guilty-pleasure blind spots when it comes to food poisoning prevention (raw cookie dough, anyone?).In this episode:00:00:00 Would You Eat It? The Five Second Rule00:04:06 Gas Station Sushi, Rare Burgers and Childhood Habits00:06:54 Bacteria Contamination in Self-service Ice Machines and Soda Fountains00:09:21 How Long Is Too Long in the Temperature Danger Zone?00:10:59 Sell-by Dates, Expiration Dates and Real Life00:12:54 Cross Contaminaiton Prevention and Salmonella Risk00:17:03 Moldy Bread and Wild Mushroom Foraging Risks00:17:56 Sharing Food and Drinks: Saliva Transfer Risk00:20:09 Bulging Canned Goods and BotulismDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“Anything that's been in the car overnight, no. Disgusting. Yuck. There's no redeeming value.” – Matt Regusci“They can kill you quickly. You grab the wrong mushroom, you'd be dead very quickly.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Cyclospora Outbreak: 7,000 Sick and the Surveillance System That Went Dark | Episode 177 28.07.2026 52min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Nearly 7,000 people are sick, the CDC's own case count can't keep up with what individual states are finding on their own, and six months ago the agency quietly stopped requiring labs to track Cyclospora at all. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine break down how an outbreak this size is unfolding in near-total darkness. This episode covers what Cyclospora actually does to the body, where the current outbreak started, and the funding cuts that gutted the surveillance system meant to catch it. When you stop counting the sick, the numbers go down, but the problem doesn't.In this episode:00:00:00 The Educated Food Safety Guess That Turned Out to Be True00:04:46 A Food Safety Project Three Years in the Making00:08:04 Tracking the Cyclospora Outbreak00:12:27 What Is Cyclospora? Symptoms, Transmission, and Sources00:17:53 1,645 Confirmed Cyclospora Cases and Nearly 7,000 Suspected00:19:03 Suspected Sources and the Taco Bell Connection00:23:49 CDC Funding Cuts and the FoodNet Tracking Rollback00:28:28 How a Systemic Contamination Event Actually Happens00:35:29 The Supplier is Confirmed — It's Taylor Farms00:47:02 Taco Bell's Statement and IFPA's Pushback on the Produce LinkDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeHave a look at the articles mentioned in this episode:Two Friends Warn About Cyclospora. In the Morning I’ll Carry the Same Message to Puerto Vallarta: We Stopped Counting the Sick and Holding those to AccountCyclospora by State: Three Different Counts — the CDC’s, the State’s, and the Media’sCDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreakThe Cyclospora Outbreak Now Has Two Names on It — Taylor Farms and Taco Bell. Both Have Been Here Before and So Have IParasitic Outbreak Linked to Taylor Farms Lettuce Supplied to Taco BellNoteworthy quotes from this episode“When you have 7,000 potential cases, it is a systemic problem.” – Matt Regusci“Of course the numbers are gonna decline. They're not counting them.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Food Safety Consortium 2026: Allergens, Traceability & a Story That Silenced a Room with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 176 21.07.2026 35min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.A crowded elevator in St. Louis. A stranger's badge. A conversation that led food safety consortium founder Rick Biros to a mother named Dana and to Kayla, her daughter, who died of E. coli O111 in 2007. In this third installment of the 2026 Food Safety Consortium preview series on Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt, Francine, and Rick sit with a story that silenced a room of industry veterans, then turn to what's ahead at this year's conference.This episode blends raw human stakes with a practical look at what's coming to Food Safety Consortium, from AI adoption and allergen transparency to the traceability deadline barreling toward the whole industry.Spoiler alert: the best food safety conferences aren't built on data alone — they're built on stories that make the stakes impossible to ignore.In this episode:00:03:29 The Power of a Food Safety Story00:06:50 The Elevator Encounter: How Rick Met Dana and Heard Kayla's Story00:14:30 Food Safety: From a Job to a Career, to a Passion00:17:02 Business Outcomes From Investing in Food Safety00:20:59 Allergen Panel featuring Marriott, Universal, Aramark, and Red Lobster00:22:19 Risk-based Pest Control and the Search For a Produce "Kill Step"00:23:46 Alpha-gal: The Tick Bite That Can Mean No More Red Meat00:29:30 AI at the Food Safety ConsortiumDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with RickTake a look at Kayla’s story on Food Safety Tech: Food Safety FateUse code POOP for 25% off the 2026 Food Safety ConsortiumCheck out the rest of the series with Rick:Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 170Food Safety as an Investment: Inside the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros | Episode 173Noteworthy quotes from this episode“There wasn't a dry eye in the audience. I read the story, and I just said, ‘Wow, folks, that's why you do what you do.’” – Rick Biros“These situations are 100% preventable. Somewhere along the way, somebody did something wrong. We are never gonna stop all of them. We're not gonna eradicate all of the foodborne illnesses. But we could certainly reduce them significantly.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  The Power of Storytelling in Food Safety with Dr. Darin Detwiler & Gennette Zimmer | Episode 175 14.07.2026 55min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Every corporate food safety crisis seems to follow the same script: a somber press conference, a pledge to prioritize safety, a promise to retrain the people at the bottom. But what if the missing ingredient isn't more data or policy — it's story? In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Dr. Darin Detwiler and Gennette Zimmer join Francine and Matt to make the case that food safety culture is built on the stories we tell, and the ones we're afraid to.They explore how storytelling shapes food safety culture, why credentials don't always equal true expertise, and why so many food safety conferences still don't reflect the people most affected by failures.In this episode:00:00:00 Storytelling as the "Mortar" of Food Safety Culture00:03:57 Darin's 30 Years of Teaching Comes to a Close00:12:39 Teaching Through Storytelling00:19:43 Peanut Corp, Baby Formula, Boar's Head: A Pattern of Ignored Warnings00:24:00 The Corporate Crisis Playbook00:26:48 The Families' Food Safety Forgets00:31:00 Storytelling Talk at the Food Safety Consortium00:40:46 How Storytelling Impacts Audiences00:44:15 Diversity and Representation in Food Safety00:49:34 The Three Dimensions of StorytellingDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with Dr. Darin Detwiler on LinkedInConnect with Gennette Zimmer on LinkedInConfessions of a Food Safety A**hole podcastTake a look at our past episode with Darin and Gennette: What Happens When You Speak Up For Food Safety with Food Safety Icon Dr. Darin Detwiler and His Wife Gennette ZimmerGet 25% off the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with discount code POOPNoteworthy quotes from this episode“ When the people who are your intended audience do not see themselves reflected in the conversation, that's hard for buy-in.” – Dr. Darin DetwilerWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Fake IDs, Real Consequences: Child Labor Exposed in the Meat Industry | Episode 174 07.07.2026 33min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.A janitorial contractor forged IDs for 336 of his 353 workers, and two dozen of them were children as young as 13, cleaning industrial equipment inside a Perdue Farms slaughterhouse. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine dig into a case that took six years to reach sentencing, exposing how easily child labor laws can be circumvented when a subcontractor controls the paperwork. Along the way, the story opens into a much bigger problem: stolen identities, the real people left cleaning up the damage, and what food companies should be asking their staffing vendors.Hiring the cheapest staffing vendor might be costing you a lot more than you think.In this episode:00:00:57 Child Labor Laws in the Food Safety Industry00:09:35 A Janitorial Manager’s Guilty Plea for Forged IDs00:13:17 Why Slaughterhouses are No Place for Kids00:18:50 Forged Licenses, Birth Certificates, and Stolen Social Security Numbers00:23:58 Déjà Vu: The 2023 Packer Sanitation Services Case00:25:54 Identity Theft Victims and Corporate Security FalloutDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the two articles we mentioned in this episode:Sentence scheduled for former janitorial services manager who forged IDs for hundreds of workersWorkers for slaughterhouse cleaning firm that hired children repeatedly used stolen identities to get jobsNoteworthy quotes from this episode“A slaughterhouse is not for children. These places are dangerous for adults. I'm not saying they should be shut down. I'm just saying you have to be 100% aware of your surroundings in a slaughterhouse.” – Matt Regusci“It's like everything else. You get what you pay for.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Food Safety as an Investment: Inside the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros | Episode 173 30.06.2026 35min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Rick Biros, founder of Food Safety Tech and the Food Safety Consortium, is back with our hosts Matt and Francine to make the case that food safety needs a new narrative — one built on ROI and recognition instead of checkbox culture, with buy-in that has to reach all the way up to the C-suite.This episode of Don't Eat Poop! previews what's new at the 2026 Food Safety Consortium: a storytellers panel with Francine and Darin Detwiler, a brand-new award for food safety teams that can prove their bottom-line impact, and an update on the growing Women in Food Safety community.In this episode:00:00:00 Abstract Submissions for the Food Safety Consortium00:03:55 Storytelling as a Food Safety Leadership Tool00:07:04 The Real Food Safety Culture Challenge00:12:19 The ROI of Food Safety00:21:04 Introducing the Food Safety Tech Excellence Award00:26:12 Women in Food Safety: Mentorship & GrowthDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeUse the discount code POOP for 25% off your ticket to the 2026 Food Safety Consortium.Enter the new Food Safety Tech Excellence Award at foodsafetytech.com Take a look at our previous episodes with Rick:Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 17015 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161Behind the Scenes at the Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros: Conference Culture, Compliance & Community | Episode 123Noteworthy quotes from this episode“As a food safety community, we have to start changing the narrative about food safety. This is not just about compliance. Compliance should be the bare minimum. That's not what you shoot for. That's the floor. That should be expected.” – Rick BirosWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  World Cup Food Safety: 10 Million Visitors & 28 Health Inspectors | Episode 172 23.06.2026 42min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.The FIFA World Cup is coming to Atlanta, and with it, up to 10 million visitors, thousands of temporary food vendors, and a food safety infrastructure that is already stretched thin.In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Francine and Matt pull apart the logistics of feeding a city-sized surge of international fans, from inspecting pop-up tents in 100-degree heat to the very real norovirus scenario that could turn one food truck into a multi-city outbreak. When you pack 10 million people into a city with 28 health inspectors on the clock, something is going to fall through the cracks — the question is how much.In this episode:00:00:00 World Cup in Atlanta: The Numbers00:09:25 Atlanta Health Inspectors’ Impossible Workload00:16:01 Potential Novovirus Scenarios00:17:59 Temperature Control and Food Safety Blind Spots00:25:27 The Reality of Food Safety Inspections00:28:42 Approved Vendors and Traceability00:37:39 Atlanta is Preparing for the World CupDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the article we’re talking about in this episode: Atlanta health inspectors prepare restaurants and vendors for World Cup crowdsNoteworthy quotes from this episode“ Moral of the story is do not be a jerk to your health inspector.” – Matt Regusci“The volume of people is one thing. [...] So now they've got to inspect all these temporary vendors that are gonna come in to be permitted for the World Cup.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  GRAS Additives, the FRESH Act & the Fight Over Food Safety Authority | Episode 171 16.06.2026 33min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.The federal government has a plan to overhaul how food chemicals are regulated in America, but the states got there first. In Episode 171 of Don't Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine dig into Dr. David Acheson's opinion piece on who should own authority over GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) additives, and whether the proposed FRESH Act is a real solution or just another Band-Aid on a broken system.From California's Prop 65 to a patchwork of 50 different state regulations, the episode unpacks why consistency matters and why trusting the federal government to deliver it is easier said than done.Spoiler alert: If the feds can't get it done, third-party certifications will fill the gap. And that's not necessarily the win consumers are hoping for.In this episode:00:00:00 Dr. David Acheson: Who Should Own GRAS Authority?00:07:07 Patchwork Regulation Fails Manufacturers00:15:55 State vs. Federal Departments00:20:00 The FRESH Act & Federal Preemption00:22:21 The Organic Certification Parallel00:26:52 MAHA & Food Safety PoliticsDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the article we discussed in this episode: GRAS, additives, chemicals: Who should hold the authority? By Dr. David AchesonFood Safety Compliance Chaos: FDA Redactions, Conflicts of Interest & Mango Mayhem | Episode 165Noteworthy quotes from this episode“ If Clean Label Project ceased to exist because the federal government did their job really, really well, that would be our goal.” – Matt Regusci“Certifications have become so watered down. They don't mean what they once did.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 170 09.06.2026 34min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Most conferences just recycle the same speakers on the same topics every year. Food Safety Consortium is trying to do something different, and the process behind it is more rigorous than you might expect.In this episode of Don't Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine sit down with Rick Biros, founder of Food Safety Consortium and Food Safety Tech, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a food safety conference worth attending. From the call for abstracts to curating diverse panels to scoring speaker submissions on educational value, this is the insider scoop most attendees never get.Spoiler alert: Great food safety conferences don't happen by accident.In this episode:00:00:00 What Makes the Food Safety Consortium Stand Out00:06:42 Consortium vs. Food Safety Hazards00:08:29 The Role of Policy in Food Safety Topics Covered00:10:25 Speaker Selection: Abstracts, Scoring, Curation00:16:32 The Submission Numbers00:18:25 Preview: A Global Food Safety Audit Study00:23:22 How Different Learning Styles Shape Conference Programming00:27:19 Rick on Life Outside the Food Safety Conference WorldDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with Rick Biros here.Take a look at our previous episodes with Rick:Behind the Scenes at the Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros: Conference Culture, Compliance & Community | Episode 12315 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161Use code POOP for 25% off registration for the Food Safety Consortium.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“How do we go to food safety conferences with the first word food and get such awful food? [...] We take great pride in serving good food.” – Rick BirosWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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  Retail & Meal Delivery Food Safety Fails with Michelle Wollenzien from The Food Safety Exchange Podcast | Episode 169 02.06.2026 48min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Food safety failures don’t always start with massive outbreaks or nationwide recalls. Sometimes, they start with a bowl of homemade gumbo sitting in a grocery store display case.In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine sit down with food safety consultant and Food Safety Exchange host Michelle Wollenzien to unpack decades of retail food safety experience, convenience food risks, meal delivery disasters, food safety culture breakdowns, and why technology is moving faster than food safety compliance.From improperly reheated meal kits to mystery gumbo in a self-service case, this episode dives deep into the real-world chaos happening behind the scenes of prepared foods, retail grocery operations, airline catering, and modern food delivery systems.In this episode:00:00:00 Meet Food Safety Expert Michelle Wollenzien00:08:02 Convenience Food Safety Risks00:14:30 The Homemade Gumbo Food Safety Incident00:20:08 Foodborne Illness Investigations & Determining Liability00:25:22 Food Safety Culture Is Dividing Companies00:29:27 Technology Is Outpacing Food Safety Systems00:33:16 Labour Shortages in Retail Systems00:39:19 Food Safety Lessons from Living in MexicoDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with Michelle here. Take a look at our LinkedIn Live with Michelle here.Check out our episodes with Roger Hancock:Creating a Recall-Ready Food Safety Industry | Episode 42How the FDA Wants YOU to Fix Food Safety Recalls with Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink | Episode 126Noteworthy quotes from this episode“I am all on board with your innovation, great ideas, feeding the public, making it a near restaurant experience, being able to take this prepared food home or have it delivered, or however you choose to do it. But we have to keep in mind our consumers.” – Michelle WollenzienWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  “Not for Human Consumption” Raw Chocolate Milk Controversy | Episode 168 26.05.2026 26min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine dive headfirst into one of the strangest raw milk controversies they’ve seen yet: a Florida dairy selling expensive raw chocolate milk labeled as livestock feed while clearly marketing it to humans.The hosts unpack the food safety, legal liability, and public health implications behind the “pet food loophole” that many raw milk sellers appear to use. The conversation covers everything from Listeria and E. coli risks in raw dairy to whether warning labels actually protect companies from lawsuits.Along the way, Matt and Francine ask the question nobody expected to ask in 2026: Who exactly is buying $15 chocolate milk for livestock?In this episode:00:00:00 Raw Chocolate Milk Labeled “Not for Human Consumption”00:09:03 Florida Raw Milk Labeling Loophole00:11:34 Does a Warning Label Protect Companies from Food Safety Lawsuits?00:18:36 Contamination Risks in Dairy OperationsDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the TikTok we’re talking about in this episode from creator Emmy Makela: https://www.tiktok.com/@emsthegirl/video/7629027231888575774?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7608973359876458015 Noteworthy quotes from this episode“Anybody who has livestock knows that they are not providing their livestock with $14.99 half a gallon milk jugs that also have chocolate in them.” – Matt Regusci“I wonder how many people are buying products that say not for human consumption and don't even realize it.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  Cantaloupe Recalls, Norovirus Nightmares & the Food Safety Chemical Nobody’s Talking About | Episode 167 19.05.2026 39min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Another cantaloupe recall. Another round of questions about why the food industry keeps making the same mistakes — and whether the tools to fix them are already sitting on the shelf, ignored.In this episode of Don't Eat Poop!, Francine and Matt dig into a Salmonella cantaloupe recall, the science of why cantaloupes are such a high-risk product, and a sanitizer that's been EPA- and FDA-approved for years but still can't get traction in the industry. Plus: Francine's heading to the Food Safety Summit to talk norovirus in retail, and the stories from the field are exactly what you'd expect from Don’t Eat Poop.Spoiler alert: The solutions often exist. The problem is getting a risk-averse, relationship-driven industry to actually use them.In this episode:00:00:00 Novovirus in Retail00:06:57 Cantaloupe Salmonella Recall Breakdown00:11:58 Hypochlorous Acid: The Sanitizer the Industry is Ignoring00:19:04 Chemical Distribution & Conflict of Interest00:30:25 Norovirus Incidents in Grocery StoresDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeIs It Time for a “Kill Step” for Pathogens on Produce at Retail? By Eric Moorman and Hal KingNoteworthy quotes from this episode“You can't really sanitize or get rid of all the potential pathogens on the outside of a cantaloupe because of the webbed outside.” – Matt Regusci“There's something out there that works that nobody's talking about, and there's such a resistance to this product.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  Biogenic Amines in Chicken: The Real Risk from Cold Chain Failures | Episode 166 12.05.2026 22min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.If you thought chicken was the “safe” option on the menu, this episode of Don’t Eat Poop! might ruffle your feathers. Matt and Francine dig into a bizarre (and under-the-radar) food safety incident out of Spain, where children developed allergic-like reactions not from allergens, but from biogenic amines formed due to poor cold chain management. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in restaurant food safety, food safety training, or navigating food safety regulations. We break down the science, the risks, and what this means for foodborne illness prevention worldwide.In this episode:00:00:00 Get to Know Your Food Safety Podcast Hosts00:11:00 Biogenic Amine Outbreak in Spain00:14:47 Poor Cold Chain Management in Foodservice00:17:56 Why Symptoms Looked Like Allergies00:21:10 Temperature Control MattersDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the articles mentioned in this episode:Spanish scientists investigate outbreaks affecting childrenReport of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the risk of food poisoning due to the presence of biogenic amines in meals made from chicken meat consumed by children under 3 years of ageNoteworthy quotes from this episode“This is a food safety issue that can happen with a break in the cold chain.” – Matt Regusci“ Spoiled-smelling meat is not the only concern. Not all bad meat stinks.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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  Food Safety Compliance Chaos: FDA Redactions, Conflicts of Interest & Mango Mayhem | Episode 165 05.05.2026 28min

  🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.What do mangoes, government redactions, and conspiracy-level blacked-out reports have in common? In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine peel back the layers (and redact absolutely nothing) on a bizarre FDA Salmonella mango investigation that’s about as useful as a blank HACCP plan.From laughably censored outbreak reports to serious concerns about food safety compliance, conflicts of interest, and transparency failures, this episode dives deep into the cracks in our food safety systems. If you’ve ever wondered how the industry is supposed to improve when critical data is hidden, or how advisory committees operate without clear disclosure rules, this one’s for you.Spoiler alert: You can’t fix what you can’t see. And right now? There’s a lot we’re not seeing.In this episode:00:00:00 Food Safety Podcast Recap00:08:22 Redacted FDA Salmonella Mango Report00:13:04 FDA Conflict of Interest Failures00:20:42 Still No FDA Conflict-of-interest Policy00:23:01 Real Accountability in Food Safety RegulationsDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeTake a look at the articles we discuss in this episode:Why does a FDA Salmonella Mango Report look like a page out of the Epstein Files?GAO says FDA needs to give attention to conflict of interest policiesCheck out our episode with Rick Biros: 15 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161Noteworthy quotes from this episode“The files for the FDA look similar to the Epstein files, and the GAO is asking FDA, whatcha gonna do about conflicts of interest?” – Matt Regusci“This is like policies and procedures. If you're not gonna implement them, don't write them.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms