Explore every episode of the podcast Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Area 51: Supplements, Claims, and the Product Safety Nobody Validates | Episode 191 | 03 nov. 2026 | 00:27:34 | |
🍽️ 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. Welcome to Area 51: Supplements, Claims, and the Product Safety Nobody Validates | Episode 191 A company gets caught. A new LLC shows up in Suite 108, and Suite 107 quietly stays open as the “warehouse.” Welcome to Area 51 of product safety, the place that officially doesn’t exist. Recorded live at the Food Safety Consortium, this episode features Trevor Morones, president and chief quality officer of Control Point Holdings. He talks with Francine and Matt about supplement claims, unpermitted operations, process authorities, and why leadership has to show up at every level. Spoiler alert: if you can’t validate it and keep verifying it, you can’t claim it, no matter how good it looks on Instagram. In this episode: Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Noteworthy quotes from this episode “If we’re trying to provide supplements to people for health and well-being, let’s do it in a way that’s transparent and it can be traceable.” – Trevor Morones We 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, Trevor, 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 Don't Eat Poop! | |||
| Food Cybersecurity Is Food Safety | 27 oct. 2026 | 00:44:33 | |
🍽️ 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. Securing What Feeds Us: Why Every Food Cyberattack Is a Food Safety Incident | Episode 190 When hackers took over refrigeration systems in grocery stores across France, the cybersecurity world focused on how they got in. Almost nobody asked the bigger question: what happened to the food? Kristin King says that blind spot is exactly what puts our food supply at risk. Recorded live at the Food Safety Consortium, Francine and Matt sit down with Kristin King, operational technology security expert, host of Bites and Bytes, and author of Securing What Feeds Us, to talk about where cybersecurity and food safety collide, and about what it is really like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry. Spoiler alert: In the food industry, a cyberattack is a food safety incident until someone proves it isn’t. In this episode: Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode
Noteworthy quotes from this episode “Anytime there is a cybersecurity incident within food, it is automatically a food safety incident until someone tells me otherwise. And it needs to be treated that way first.” — Kristin King “Things have to change, but it is not my responsibility to change it. My responsibility is to remind people to be good human beings and that when they see something they need to say something and that’s the truth about it.” — Kristin King We 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, Kristin King, 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! Produced by Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast | |||
| Infant Formula Botulism Outbreak: The Supplier Link l Episode 189 | 20 oct. 2026 | 00:48:41 | |
🍽️ 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. Infant Formula Botulism: One Supplier, Two Brands | Episode 189 Two infant formula brands, made by different companies on different continents, sickened babies with botulism seven months apart. The thing they had in common wasn’t a factory. It was an ingredient, sourced from the same organic whole milk supplier and spray-dried at the same facility, and nobody in the chain was testing for botulism. Francine and Matt break down how the outbreak was traced upstream, why “we never tested for that” keeps showing up in outbreak investigations, and what it would take for companies to get ahead of risks they don’t even know exist yet. Spoiler alert: food safety keeps getting treated as an expense until an outbreak forces it to become an investment. In this episode: Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode
Noteworthy quotes from this episode “They see it as an expense until they have some kind of major outbreak. And then suddenly it’s important for a while.” – Francine L. Shaw “If you’re bored in food safety, you’re really doing something wrong.” – Matt Regusci We 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! | |||
| Food Safety Culture Across Borders with Food Safety Manager Santoshi Muriki | Episode 188 | 13 oct. 2026 | 00:39:57 | |
🍽️ 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 India, Santoshi Muriki watched inspectors stay quiet and management toss her proposals in the trash. In the US, she found unannounced audits, stricter rules, and the same old problem: people cutting corners when nobody's watching. In this episode of Don't Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine sit down with food safety manager Santoshi to compare food safety culture in India and the US, from scheduled-only audits and quiet bribes to the risk-based supplier program she built to get ahead of recalls. Spoiler alert: Perfect paperwork doesn't prove a strong food safety culture. Sometimes it's the biggest red flag in the building. In this episode: 💩 00:00:00 Meet Santoshi: From Produce Processing in India to US Warehousing 💩 00:04:15 Food Safety Culture: What People Do When Nobody's Watching 💩 00:08:27 Food Safety in India vs. the US: Traceability, Enforcement & Audits 💩 00:12:19 Being a Woman in Food Safety Leadership in India 💩 00:16:32 Quality vs. Operations 💩 00:21:33 When Food Safety Records Look Too Good to Be True 💩 00:26:17 Building a Risk-Based Supplier Program to Prevent Recalls 💩 00:31:23 Advice From Frank Yiannas & Preparing for FSMA 204 💩 00:33:45 Women in Food Safety & Getting Junior Pros to Conferences Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Santoshi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakshmi-santoshi-muriki-39974946/ Women in Food Safety: https://www.womeninfoods.org/ Food Safety Consortium: https://foodsafetyconsortium.org/ Santoshi's articles on Food Safety Tech: https://foodsafetytech.com/?s=santoshi Check out episode 187 with the Food Safety Girl from Jamaica: https://savvyfs.com/machetes-hostages-jerk-pans-food-safety-inspections-in-jamaica-with-food-safety-girl-allison-richards-episode-187/ Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ Food safety culture is what people do when nobody is watching.” – Santoshi Muriki We 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.
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| Machetes, Hostages & Jerk Pans: Food Safety Inspections in Jamaica with Food Safety Girl Allison Richards | Episode 187 | 06 oct. 2026 | 00:45:25 | |
🍽️ 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. Ever had someone sharpen a machete while you work through your inspection checklist? Allison Richards has. With over 15 years of food safety inspections in Jamaica, she has also been told by owners to take her shoes off at the door and has been locked inside a store until they decided the inspection was over. In this episode of Don't Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine sit down with Allison, better known as The Food Safety Girl. They swap inspection war stories and dig into consumer education, food insecurity, cold chain, canning, street food, and the new Caribbean chapter of Women in Food Safety. Spoiler alert: Fear doesn't fix food safety. Education, relationships, and informed consumers do. In this episode: 💩 00:00:00 Meet The Food Safety Girl, Allison Richards 💩 00:04:37 Food Safety Has to Be Fun 💩 00:06:53 Allison's Crazy Food Safety Inspection Stories 💩 00:17:10 Cockroach Popsicles and the Kangaroo Oxtail Rumor 💩 00:19:50 Food Tourism and Consumers as Agents of Change 💩 00:23:45 Food Safety Compliance Through Relationships 💩 00:27:35 Food Insecurity Is More Than Food Production 💩 00:34:11 Canning, Frozen Plantains, and the Processed Food Debate 💩 00:36:48 Street Food in Jamaica 💩 00:40:07 The Caribbean Chapter of Women in Food Safety Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Allison Richards on: Learn more about Women in Food Safety: https://www.womeninfoods.org/ Check out our episode with Melody Ge on Women in Food Safety: Food Safety Insights From Both Sides of the Audit with Melody Ge, CTO at EAGLE Certification Group | Episode 142 Noteworthy quotes from this episode “Consumers are really the agents of change. They're the ones spending. They have the spending power.” – Allison Richards We 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.
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| Food Safety Culture vs. Training vs. Leadership: Everybody Knows the Rules and Still Screws Up | Episode 186 | 29 sept. 2026 | 00:45:20 | |
🍽️ 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. Everybody knows the food safety rules. So why do we keep screwing this up? After a summer shaped by the Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak, Francine and Matt dig into whether the real problem is training, behavior, leadership, or culture. They use Taylor Farms, Taco Bell, and Chipotle to show where accountability really lands and how to win buy-in from the people who make the decisions. Spoiler alert: Knowing the rules has never been the problem. Getting people to buy in is. In this episode: 💩 00:00:00 Three Years, 186 Episodes of Food Safety 💩 00:03:05 Training vs. Behavior vs. Leadership vs. Culture 💩 00:06:47 Taylor Farms Food Safety Culture 💩 00:10:53 The Parent Company Owns the Outbreak 💩 00:14:17 Food Safety Culture from Corporate to Facilities 💩 00:16:41 Hiring for the Right Food Safety Behaviors 💩 00:21:41 Fire Them or Move Them? Positional vs. Personal Influence 💩 00:27:39 Building Food Safety Buy-In From the Middle 💩 00:30:16 Where Food Safety Pros Fail 💩 00:33:11 Speaking the Language of the CEO, CFO, and COO 💩 00:36:36 Cadence and Dialect Matter in Food Safety Communication 💩 00:44:04 No Food Safety Culture Without Leadership Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: https://www.amazon.com/dp/081298160X Missed last week's conspiracy talk? Catch up here: https://savvyfs.com/largest-cyclospora-outbreak-in-us-history-over-what-the-cdc-isnt-saying-episode-185/ Noteworthy quotes from this episode "Everybody knows the rules, so why do we keep screwing this up?" – Francine L. Shaw "Most of the time you can't play by the rules to change a culture." – Matt Regusci We 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.
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| Largest Cyclospora Outbreak in US History “Over”: What the CDC Isn't Saying | Episode 185 | 22 sept. 2026 | 00:45:56 | |
🍽️ 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 largest Cyclospora outbreak in U.S. history is over, according to an anonymous federal official who told a reporter before anyone told the public. The CDC's own outbreak page still says "open." In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop, Matt and Francine dig into the numbers nobody's updating and ask a question they've never asked in 185 episodes: is this incompetence, or something worse? This episode breaks down the outbreak data agencies stopped counting, the consumer trust numbers still falling, and the case for and against a full-blown conspiracy. In this episode: 💩 00:00:00 Cyclospora Outbreak Declared "Over" 💩 00:08:21 The Outbreak Numbers Nobody's Updating 💩 00:11:19 Consumer Confidence In Free Fall 💩 00:13:03 Congress Sends 13 Letters, Gets Zero Cyclospora Outbreak Answers 💩 00:16:05 Incompetence or Food Safety Conspiracy 💩 00:20:54 Is The Whole Food System Broken? 💩 00:23:08 Could Someone Be Weaponizing A Broken System? 💩 00:36:45 How Matt Got A Broken Industry To Adopt Compliance Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Check out Bill Marler’s article discussed in this episode: Noteworthy quotes from this episode "If you don't count [the victims], they don't matter. They don't exist." – Francine L Shaw "This is either absolute pure incompetence, or it's a conspiracy, and I could believe in both, or both simultaneously." – Matt Regusci We 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.
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| The Food Safety Blame Game: Cyclospora, Taylor Farms, and Who Really Pays | Episode 184 | 15 sept. 2026 | 00:35:28 | |
🍽️ 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 Pressure Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode What Restaurants Can Learn From the Lettuce Recall: https://www.fsrmagazine.com/feature/what-restaurants-can-learn-from-the-lettuce-recall/ Episodes with Roger Hancock:
Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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.
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| 2026 Outbreak Overload: 21 Recalls & More Than 30,000 Sick | Episode 183 | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:34:14 | |
🍽️ 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 Salad Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode The 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 Shaw We 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.
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| Cyclospora Outbreak: Why the White House Went Silent | Episode 182 | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:32:42 | |
🍽️ 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 Outbreaks Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Use 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: 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 Shaw We 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.
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| Taylor Farms Cyclospora Outbreak: Epidemiology and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Episode 181 | 25 août 2026 | 00:38:26 | |
🍽️ 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 Outbreak Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Use 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:
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 Shaw We 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.
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| Closing the Food Safety Culture Gap: Data, Training & AI with Azure Edwards of Pacific Blue Horizon Group | Episode 180 | 18 août 2026 | 00:45:02 | |
🍽️ 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 Safety Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect 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:
Episode discussing Azure’s article: The Failures of the Food Industry's Pizza and Stick Approach to Food Safety | Episode 154 Noteworthy 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 Edwards We 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.
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| FDA's New Director of Produce Safety: Can Dr. Donna Garren Make a Change? | Episode 179 | 11 août 2026 | 00:39:31 | |
🍽️ 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 Safety 00:04:25 Garren's Food Science Roots 00:07:24 Two Decades of Lobbying 00:17:55 What the Office of Produce Safety Actually Does 00:22:57 Garren vs. Her Predecessor: Political Skill vs. Scientific Pedigree 00:28:33 Stakeholder Engagement and Training ( Industry Outreach and Consensus-Building) 00:34:47 Translating Science for Farmers Disclaimer: 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 Shaw We 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.
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| Would You Eat It? Food Safety Risks Ranked | Episode 178 | 04 août 2026 | 00:25:26 | |
🍽️ 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 Rule 00:04:06 Gas Station Sushi, Rare Burgers and Childhood Habits 00:06:54 Bacteria Contamination in Self-service Ice Machines and Soda Fountains 00:09:21 How Long Is Too Long in the Temperature Danger Zone? 00:10:59 Sell-by Dates, Expiration Dates and Real Life 00:12:54 Cross Contaminaiton Prevention and Salmonella Risk 00:17:03 Moldy Bread and Wild Mushroom Foraging Risks 00:17:56 Sharing Food and Drinks: Saliva Transfer Risk 00:20:09 Bulging Canned Goods and Botulism Disclaimer: 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 Shaw We 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.
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| Cyclospora Outbreak: 7,000 Sick and the Surveillance System That Went Dark | Episode 177 | 28 juil. 2026 | 00:52:14 | |
🍽️ 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 True 00:04:46 A Food Safety Project Three Years in the Making 00:08:04 Tracking the Cyclospora Outbreak 00:12:27 What Is Cyclospora? Symptoms, Transmission, and Sources 00:17:53 1,645 Confirmed Cyclospora Cases and Nearly 7,000 Suspected 00:19:03 Suspected Sources and the Taco Bell Connection 00:23:49 CDC Funding Cuts and the FoodNet Tracking Rollback 00:28:28 How a Systemic Contamination Event Actually Happens 00:35:29 The Supplier is Confirmed — It's Taylor Farms 00:47:02 Taco Bell's Statement and IFPA's Pushback on the Produce Link Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Have a look at the articles mentioned in this episode:
Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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.
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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 juil. 2026 | 00:35:02 | |
🍽️ 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 Story 00:06:50 The Elevator Encounter: How Rick Met Dana and Heard Kayla's Story 00:14:30 Food Safety: From a Job to a Career, to a Passion 00:17:02 Business Outcomes From Investing in Food Safety 00:20:59 Allergen Panel featuring Marriott, Universal, Aramark, and Red Lobster 00:22:19 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 Meat 00:29:30 AI at the Food Safety Consortium Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Rick
Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| The Power of Storytelling in Food Safety with Dr. Darin Detwiler & Gennette Zimmer | Episode 175 | 14 juil. 2026 | 00:55:32 | |
🍽️ 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 Culture 00:03:57 Darin's 30 Years of Teaching Comes to a Close 00:12:39 Teaching Through Storytelling 00:19:43 Peanut Corp, Baby Formula, Boar's Head: A Pattern of Ignored Warnings 00:24:00 The Corporate Crisis Playbook 00:26:48 The Families' Food Safety Forgets 00:31:00 Storytelling Talk at the Food Safety Consortium 00:40:46 How Storytelling Impacts Audiences 00:44:15 Diversity and Representation in Food Safety 00:49:34 The Three Dimensions of Storytelling Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Dr. Darin Detwiler on LinkedIn Connect with Gennette Zimmer on LinkedIn Confessions of a Food Safety A**hole podcast Take 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 Zimmer Get 25% off the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with discount code POOP Noteworthy 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 Detwiler We 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 _______ | |||
| Fake IDs, Real Consequences: Child Labor Exposed in the Meat Industry | Episode 174 | 07 juil. 2026 | 00:33:05 | |
🍽️ 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 Industry 00:09:35 A Janitorial Manager’s Guilty Plea for Forged IDs 00:13:17 Why Slaughterhouses are No Place for Kids 00:18:50 Forged Licenses, Birth Certificates, and Stolen Social Security Numbers 00:23:58 Déjà Vu: The 2023 Packer Sanitation Services Case 00:25:54 Identity Theft Victims and Corporate Security Fallout Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the two articles we mentioned in this episode:
Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 _______ | |||
| Food Safety as an Investment: Inside the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros | Episode 173 | 30 juin 2026 | 00:35:13 | |
🍽️ 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 Consortium 00:03:55 Storytelling as a Food Safety Leadership Tool 00:07:04 The Real Food Safety Culture Challenge 00:12:19 The ROI of Food Safety 00:21:04 Introducing the Food Safety Tech Excellence Award 00:26:12 Women in Food Safety: Mentorship & Growth Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Use 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:
Noteworthy 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 Biros We 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 _______ | |||
| World Cup Food Safety: 10 Million Visitors & 28 Health Inspectors | Episode 172 | 23 juin 2026 | 00:42:58 | |
🍽️ 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 Numbers 00:09:25 Atlanta Health Inspectors’ Impossible Workload 00:16:01 Potential Novovirus Scenarios 00:17:59 Temperature Control and Food Safety Blind Spots 00:25:27 The Reality of Food Safety Inspections 00:28:42 Approved Vendors and Traceability 00:37:39 Atlanta is Preparing for the World Cup Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the article we’re talking about in this episode: Atlanta health inspectors prepare restaurants and vendors for World Cup crowds Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| GRAS Additives, the FRESH Act & the Fight Over Food Safety Authority | Episode 171 | 16 juin 2026 | 00:33:41 | |
🍽️ 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 Manufacturers 00:15:55 State vs. Federal Departments 00:20:00 The FRESH Act & Federal Preemption 00:22:21 The Organic Certification Parallel 00:26:52 MAHA & Food Safety Politics Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the article we discussed in this episode: GRAS, additives, chemicals: Who should hold the authority? By Dr. David Acheson Food Safety Compliance Chaos: FDA Redactions, Conflicts of Interest & Mango Mayhem | Episode 165 Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 _______ | |||
| Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 170 | 09 juin 2026 | 00:34:39 | |
🍽️ 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 Out 00:06:42 Consortium vs. Food Safety Hazards 00:08:29 The Role of Policy in Food Safety Topics Covered 00:10:25 Speaker Selection: Abstracts, Scoring, Curation 00:16:32 The Submission Numbers 00:18:25 Preview: A Global Food Safety Audit Study 00:23:22 How Different Learning Styles Shape Conference Programming 00:27:19 Rick on Life Outside the Food Safety Conference World Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Rick Biros here. Take a look at our previous episodes with Rick:
Use 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 Biros We 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 _______ | |||
| Retail & Meal Delivery Food Safety Fails with Michelle Wollenzien from The Food Safety Exchange Podcast | Episode 169 | 02 juin 2026 | 00:48:22 | |
🍽️ 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 Wollenzien 00:08:02 Convenience Food Safety Risks 00:14:30 The Homemade Gumbo Food Safety Incident 00:20:08 Foodborne Illness Investigations & Determining Liability 00:25:22 Food Safety Culture Is Dividing Companies 00:29:27 Technology Is Outpacing Food Safety Systems 00:33:16 Labour Shortages in Retail Systems 00:39:19 Food Safety Lessons from Living in Mexico Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Michelle here. Take a look at our LinkedIn Live with Michelle here. Check out our episodes with Roger Hancock:
Noteworthy 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 Wollenzien We 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 | |||
| “Not for Human Consumption” Raw Chocolate Milk Controversy | Episode 168 | 26 mai 2026 | 00:26:01 | |
🍽️ 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 Loophole 00:11:34 Does a Warning Label Protect Companies from Food Safety Lawsuits? 00:18:36 Contamination Risks in Dairy Operations
Resources from this episode Take 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| Cantaloupe Recalls, Norovirus Nightmares & the Food Safety Chemical Nobody’s Talking About | Episode 167 | 19 mai 2026 | 00:39:05 | |
🍽️ 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 Retail 00:06:57 Cantaloupe Salmonella Recall Breakdown 00:11:58 Hypochlorous Acid: The Sanitizer the Industry is Ignoring 00:19:04 Chemical Distribution & Conflict of Interest 00:30:25 Norovirus Incidents in Grocery Stores Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Is It Time for a “Kill Step” for Pathogens on Produce at Retail? By Eric Moorman and Hal King Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| Biogenic Amines in Chicken: The Real Risk from Cold Chain Failures | Episode 166 | 12 mai 2026 | 00:22:22 | |
🍽️ 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 Hosts 00:11:00 Biogenic Amine Outbreak in Spain 00:14:47 Poor Cold Chain Management in Foodservice 00:17:56 Why Symptoms Looked Like Allergies 00:21:10 Temperature Control Matters Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the articles mentioned in this episode:
Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Safety Compliance Chaos: FDA Redactions, Conflicts of Interest & Mango Mayhem | Episode 165 | 05 mai 2026 | 00:28:37 | |
🍽️ 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 Recap 00:08:22 Redacted FDA Salmonella Mango Report 00:13:04 FDA Conflict of Interest Failures 00:20:42 Still No FDA Conflict-of-interest Policy 00:23:01 Real Accountability in Food Safety Regulations Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the articles we discuss in this episode:
Check out our episode with Rick Biros: 15 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161 Noteworthy 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 Shaw We 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 | |||
| Undeclared Ingredients & Food Fraud: When Chocolate Gets Dangerous (Food Safety Compliance Breakdown) | Episode 164 | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:23:42 | |
🍽️ 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 happens when your sweet treat doubles as a pharmaceutical experiment? In this wildly bizarre (but very real) episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine unwrap a shocking chocolate recall involving undeclared active drug ingredients. This episode explores the intersection of food safety compliance, food fraud, and the risks of buying “mystery” products online. It’s funny, it’s alarming, and it’s a crystal-clear reminder that when it comes to food safety regulations, you really don’t know what you’re getting unless proper controls are in place. In this episode: 00:00:00 “Aphrodisiac Chocolate” Recalled 00:04:36 Health Risks Explained 00:09:09 Undeclared Substances in Supplements and Sports Products 00:14:17 Food Fraud and Dosage Confusion
Resources from this episode Check out the article we’re talking about in this episode: Chocolate products recalled because of undeclared male enhancement drugs Have a listen to the episodes we mentioned in this episode:
Noteworthy quotes from this episode “There's so many things that are wrong with this because you're consuming a drug disguised as a candy and you don't know the dosage.” – Matt Regusci “Most people don't understand that a lot of that stuff is not FDA-approved. They assume because they can buy it, it's safe.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Botulism from Fermented Fish: The Hidden Risks of Gut Health Trends | Episode 163 | 21 avr. 2026 | 00:25:04 | |
🍽️ 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 eye-opening (and slightly stomach-turning) episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine dive headfirst into a real-life case of botulism caused by fermented fish and why “gut health trends” can go dangerously wrong. What started as a health-conscious bite of fermented “swordfish” turned into a near-death experience for a 24-year-old woman, highlighting critical gaps in foodborne illness prevention and consumer awareness. From ancient food preservation methods to modern-day food safety compliance, this episode explores how traditional practices can clash with today’s expectations and why HACCP principles aren’t just for professionals anymore. Spoiler: if it smells like death, maybe don’t eat it.
00:00:00 Botulism from Homemade Fermented Swordfish 00:04:05 Escalating Symptoms: Difficulty Swallowing, Paralysis 00:07:00 What Fermented “Swordfish” Actually Is 00:12:24 Cultural Food and Food Safety 00:19:15 Safe Alternatives for Gut Health
Resources from this episode Food Safety Compliance in Home Kitchens: The Hidden Risks of Social Media Food Businesses | Episode 162 How to Clean Your Refrigerator Properly: This is Food Safety at Home | Episode 159 Noteworthy quotes from this episode “If your choices are occasionally getting foodborne illness or starving to death, I will choose the former over the latter, but if I'm not starving, I'm not going to choose option number one.” – Matt Regusci “There are people who, if they do live, they don't completely recover from botulism. You live with lifelong ramifications from this illness.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Safety Compliance in Home Kitchens: The Hidden Risks of Social Media Food Businesses | Episode 162 | 14 avr. 2026 | 00:21:02 | |
🍽️ 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’ve ever been tempted by homemade dumplings on Facebook Marketplace or the viral “pink sauce” on TikTok, this episode might make you pause mid-scroll. In this eye-opening (and slightly terrifying) episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine dig into the booming world of home-based food businesses and the massive food safety compliance gaps lurking behind those mouthwatering posts. From underground meal prep hustles to kids selling home-cooked food at school, this episode blends humor with hard truths about food safety regulations, HACCP principles, and the real risks of buying food from strangers online. In this episode: 00:00:00 Buying Unregulated Food From Facebook Marketplace 00:06:58 Knowing Your Food Source Matters 00:08:58 Dutch Home Caterer Survey Shocker 00:13:10 Food Safety on Social Media Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the Food Safety News article we discussed in this episode: Home-based cooks lack awareness of food safety rules Noteworthy quotes from this episode “There are regulations, but if the entrepreneurs don't know that there are regulations and are just operating under the radar, then there aren't regulations.” – Matt Regusci “So many people assume if you can buy it, it's safe.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| 15 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161 | 07 avr. 2026 | 00:47:36 | |
🍽️ 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 welcome industry veteran Rick Biros to talk about 15 years of Food Safety Tech and the Food Safety Consortium. We also get the chance to hear about Rick's new upcoming conference, Food Safety Hazards. From cockroach-laced product horror stories (yes, really) to a deep dive into 15 years of industry evolution in food safety regulations, we unpack one of the most uncomfortable truths in food safety compliance: just because you’re “within compliance” doesn’t mean your food is safe. It’s clear that the industry still has a long way to go in truly protecting consumers. In this episode: 00:00:00 15 Years of Food Safety Tech 00:10:46 FSMA Success Debate 00:15:35 Food Safety Culture Isn’t New 00:22:37 Benchmarking and Metrics 00:25:59 New Food Safety Hazards Conference 00:35:54 The Broken U.S. Food Safety System Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Rick here. Use the discount code poop for a 25% discount at the Food Safety Hazards Conference 2026 (April 20-22) and the Food Safety Consortium (October 23-26). Take a look at the white paper we discussed in this episode: Integrating the Fragmented United States Federal Food Safety System into a Food Protection System Read the article Rick mentioned at the end of this episode: Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7 in Raw Cheddar Cheese. Was it from RAW FARM or Not?? Listen to our previous conversations with Rick: Noteworthy quotes from this episode “Where this industry needs to go is to turn food safety and quality into a financial benefit to food and beverage companies.” – Rick Biros We 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 | |||
| Insects & Lab-Grown Meat: The Future of Food Safety Compliance | Episode 160 | 31 mars 2026 | 00:27:38 | |
🍽️ 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 dig into the rising trend of edible insects and lab-grown meat, and what it means for food safety compliance, foodborne illness prevention, and regulatory frameworks. From cricket protein powder to 3D-printed steak, this isn’t sci-fi anymore—it’s on your dinner plate. But are regulators ready? Are you ready? And most importantly, what happens when something goes wrong in a sterile lab environment? Let’s just say: this episode gets crunchy. In this episode: 00:00:00 Insect Protein and Lab-Grown Meat 00:08:57 Global Food Safety Regulation Challenges 00:13:05 Facebook Marketplace Food Sales 00:19:15 Consumer Trust Issues 00:22:28 Future Food Trends and Concerns Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Take a look at the Food Safety News article we’re talking about today: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/03/insects-and-cell-based-food-on-radar-of-food-regulators/ Noteworthy quotes from this episode “Say this does get to a point at which we figure out how to scale printing meat in a lab and it tastes just like meat, what food safety risks come from that in the future? I guess to be determined.” – Matt Regusci I can't imagine thinking I'm craving a cicada. I'm craving a chocolate-covered cockroach today.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Safety at Home: Cleaning Your Refrigerator Without Growing Science Experiments | Episode 159 | 24 mars 2026 | 00:35:37 | |
🍽️ 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 your fridge could talk, would it confess to crimes against food safety? In this hilariously relatable episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine tackle a topic every food safety professional knows, but many still neglect at home: cleaning out the refrigerator. From expired blue cheese dressing with a personality of its own to mystery leftovers that defy identification, this episode dives into food safety compliance at home, proper storage habits, and the real risks of ignoring expiration dates. Spoiler: your condiments are probably guilty. In this episode: 00:00:00 Deep Cleaning Your Refrigerator 00:04:59 The Hidden Danger of Condiments 00:14:43 Safe Thawing Practices 00:23:46 FIFO: First In, First Out 00:27:26 Fridge Sanitation Schedules Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ When you're cleaning out leftovers, and your question isn't, 'What is this?’ but ‘What was this?’ that’s not good.” – Matt Regusci “ Folks, it's time to clean out your refrigerator and get rid of those condiments from last summer. Get rid of them!” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Safety Inspections Explained with Steven Mandernach from AFDO | Episode 158 | 17 mars 2026 | 01:03:51 | |
🍽️ 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 regulations can sometimes feel like a bureaucratic maze, but behind the scenes, regulators, inspectors, and food businesses are all trying to accomplish the same thing: keeping people from getting sick. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine sit down with Steven Mandernach from AFDO (the Association of Food and Drug Officials) to unpack the complex world of food safety inspections, regulatory collaboration, and the future of food safety compliance. From government shutdowns affecting inspectors to the evolving relationship between state regulators, the FDA, and food businesses, the conversation dives deep into how the system really works and where it could work better. In this episode: 00:00:00 The AFDO, FDA, and USDA 00:06:27 Food Code Interpretation Gaps 00:11:12 Food Facility Inspection Realities 00:22:07 Industry and Regulator Partnerships 00:34:32 Food Safety Workforce Challenges 00:47:02 Compensation And Staffing 00:51:38 The Role of Lawyers in Food Safety Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Connect with Steven here. Listen to our last conversation with Steven: Rethinking How Things Are Done to Solve Food Safety Problems with Steven Mandernach from AFDO | Episode 90 Noteworthy quotes from this episode “I'm not sure it's a science major. I think we could find someone with critical thinking skills, good time management, and who communicates well, and I could turn them into a good food safety inspector.” – Steven Mandernach We 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 | |||
| The Leadership Skills Your HACCP Plan Is Missing with Tia Glave from Catalyst Food Leaders | Episode 157 | 10 mars 2026 | 00:30:26 | |
🍽️ 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 sit down with leadership powerhouse Tia Glave, co-founder of Catalyst Food Leaders, to discuss the one thing most food safety professionals overlook: culture and behavior change. If your HACCP plan is flawless but your team still rolls their eyes at food safety training, this episode is for you. Because here’s the hard truth: food safety compliance isn’t a paperwork problem. It’s a people problem. Recorded at the Food Safety Consortium, Tia explains why technical brilliance won’t move your organization forward unless you can explain the why in a way that actually resonates, from preventing foreign material contamination to navigating food safety audits for foodservice. In this episode: 00:00:00 Why Culture Drives Food Safety 00:05:17 Behavior Change Takes Time 00:11:46 Connecting To Personal Values 00:19:01 Budgets, Strategy, And Buy-In 00:27:57 Traceability And Change Management
Resources from this episode Connect with Tia here. Past episodes with Tia:
Noteworthy quotes from this episode “I don't need to be the voice of food safety culture as a food safety professional. Everyone knows I care about it. I need that maintenance tech to be talking about it. I need the finance team to be talking about it in a meeting. I need someone else who I didn't even know heard me to be talking about it in their circles. That's what we need. We need that commitment, and you get it through connecting to their values.” – Tia Glave We 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 | |||
| Norovirus Hits the Winter Olympics Again | Episode 156 | 03 mars 2026 | 00:32:22 | |
🍽️ 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 are discussing Francine's favorite virus: Norovirus. It's no surprise this foodborne illness made an appearance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and it's also no surprise that our hosts had a thing or two to say about this super spreader event. Tune in for some laughs, a shortage of condoms, all you need to know about the super bug that is Norovirus, and more. In this episode: 0:00:00 Matt's life fostering medically fragile kids 0:07:05 Olympics + free condoms = more Norovirus? 0:14:53 The Poop Cruise: the cruiseship from hell 0:18:26 The science behind the spread of Norovirus 0:26:37 Francine's Norovirus outbreak care packages Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Watch Trainwreck: Poop Cruise. Catch up with Episode 152, where we talk about the economics of foodborne illnesses. Read The Conversation article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ Norovirus is like a super bug, man. It has good survival skills. I gotta hand it to Norovirus. It is a maximum survivalist. So, making sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water is essential.” – Matt Regusci “ 2,800 athletes were there the first week. Now, they've been handing out these free condoms since 1988, and I wonder if there's a correlation between the close contact and the Norovirus.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Happy 3 Year Anniversary! Let's Celebrate with Good Old Dishwasher Food Safety | Episode 155 | 24 févr. 2026 | 00:31:00 | |
🍽️ 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 are celebrating the podcast's 3 Year Anniversary with a blast from the past: the salmon in the dishwasher, the podcast's first inside joke. If you've been listening for a while, you probably know that cooking your salmon in the dishwasher is a BAD idea. Now, tune in to discover all the other things that people put in their dishwashers and what experts have to say about it. Thank you for listening, and here’s to another year of the Don’t Eat Poop! Podcast. In this episode: 0:00:00 A party trick for your Super Bowl watch party 0:07:18 Why cooking in a dishwasher is a BAD idea 0:15:36 Part 1: Strangest things put in dishwashers 0:19:07 Questionable ways to thaw poultry and more 0:23:56 Part 2: Strangest things put in dishwashers Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Catch up with our "fun" episode from a couple of weeks ago, Episode 153. Watch the Netflix series about the Australian lady who killed in-laws with Beef Wellington. Learn more about Norovirus at the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics on this LinkedIn post by Francine. Find the full Consumer Reports Matt and Francine are referring to here. Check out Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? for more crazy stories people shared during training. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ Appliances are designed to perform specific tasks quickly and efficiently, so take advice from the people who make the dishwashers and leave [the food] to the cooking ranges and ovens. Amen.” – Matt Regusci “ When I was training, I had people tell me that they thawed their poultry in the dryer. Can you imagine a turkey tumbling in your clothing dryer?” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Training Failures of The Food Safety Industry | Episode 154 | 17 févr. 2026 | 00:31:07 | |
🍽️ 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 are highlighting Azure Edwards's latest opinion piece on Food Safety News, "The food industry’s training problem is the system it keeps paying for". She raises crucial points that our hosts have also been talking about for a while, such as the importance of having a strong food safety culture, the real financial impact of weak training and systems, how audits and certifications are not enough, and more. In this episode: 0:00:00 The food safety industry's training failures 0:08:45 How food safety culture weakens under pressure 0:14:14 What is missing from food safety training 0:18:05 The risks of transactional food safety 0:20:19 What makes a company successful long-term 0:27:03 The real importance of ethics and integrity Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the Food Safety News opinion piece by Azure Edwards that Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. For a look into the real cost of food safety failures, catch up with Episode 152. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ I love that she uses the temporary workers and the seasonal workers as a stress test for your food safety culture. If there's an issue with your facility during these peak times, it's not your seasonal and temporary workers that are the issue. It's your systems that are the issue.” – Matt Regusci “ I've always said the one thing that nobody can take from you is integrity. You do that yourself.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| The Thanksgiving From Hell: When Actual Poison is On the Menu | Episode 153 | 10 févr. 2026 | 00:26:11 | |
🍽️ 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 are taking a detour from food poisoning to actual poison in food. Our hosts hadn't done any episodes about people getting intentionally killed with food in a long time, and Francine, our resident murder-mystery aficionado, made sure it got back in the lineup. Tune in for the Thanksgiving from hell case, where a mother poisoned her children's wine, and a throwback to the poison mushroom beef Wellington case. In this episode: 0:00:00 Someone did kill their loved ones this time 0:03:53 The poison mushroom beef Wellington murders 0:07:49 How a mother killed her family on Thanksgiving 0:15:09 Premeditation and getting away with murder 0:21:21 Our fascination with how criminal minds work Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Learn all about the Thanksgiving from Hell case here. Hear more about the Australian lady who tried to kill her in-laws with beef Wellington on Episode 38. In case you needed a reminder, catch up with Episode 95 | Don’t Kill Your Loved Ones During the Holidays and Episode 146 | Seriously, Don’t Kill Your Loved Ones During the Holidays. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “To put this chemical in wine and give it to your children and one of their children's boyfriends at a Thanksgiving dinner. That is a whole new level of evil to me.” – Matt Regusci “ She's a restaurateur. How much has she potentially gotten away with in 20 years? That is scary. If she's willing to do this to her own children, who else might she be willing to do this to, potentially?” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| The U$74.7 Billion Price Tag of Foodborne Illnesses in 2023 | Episode 152 | 03 févr. 2026 | 00:27:52 | |
🍽️ 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 are talking about some very high, but also very preventable, costs: those resulting from foodborne illnesses. Our hosts are unpacking the Cost Estimates of Foodborne Illnesses data for 2023, released by the USDA in December 2025. You'll learn the real cost of diseases such as Salmonella, Norovirus, Listeria, Botulism, and more. In this episode: 0:03:38 Norovirus: largest number of cases 0:08:54 Salmonella: greatest overall cost 0:11:19 E.coli, Botulism, Vibrio: surprising numbers 0:13:07 Listeria: fewer cases, deadly costs 0:23:10 How to get buy-in for food safety initiatives Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the Marler Blog article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. Check out Francine's QSR Magazine 2018 article on the cost of foodborne illness. Catch up with Episode 144 | Apparently, a Little Salmonella in Poultry is Okay. But Should It Really Be? Also listen to Episode 122 | Listeria’s Lasting Damage: A Food Safety Wake-Up Call Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ You have an easier chance of getting a one on a roll of a dice than surviving Listeriosis. It is like one in three, one in four, depending upon the outbreak. So you have a 25% to 33% chance of death when you get Listeriosis. Not good.” – Matt Regusci “ Those are the things that people don't think about. They see these numbers. These are numbers on our screens at this point. People see numbers, and they hear statistics [but] these are human lives.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| The Evolution of the U.S. Food Pyramid | Episode 151 | 27 janv. 2026 | 00:37:41 | |
🍽️ 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 are back from their quick holiday break and are ready to tackle the brand-new 2026 food pyramid. With their special brand of humor, they walk through each of the four iterations of the visual American dietary guidelines over the years and what they mean for Americans. In this episode: 0:00:00 Holiday break update and misplaced keys 0:11:07 The 1992-2005 food pyramid and its impacts 0:17:21 The confusing 2005-2011 MyPyramid 0:19:37 The 2011-2026 MyPlate (not actually a pyramid) 0:23:28 The 2026 upside-down food pyramid 0:34:32 Will this change how people eat? Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Catch up with Episode 146 | Seriously, Don’t Kill Your Loved Ones During the Holidays, where Matt talked about his dread over traveling with his entire family over the holidays. Check out Frank Yiannas' LinkedIn post with the evolution of the food pyramid over time. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ I do not disagree with this new pyramid. It's basically my diet. What I do disagree with is [that] it doesn't make it easy for someone to look at this and go, 'Oh, this is how I am supposed to eat.' There's nothing really easy about it.” – Matt Regusci “'0 5 to '11 looks like they just took the colors of the rainbow, tossed them together in a mountainous type setting, and threw a bunch of food at the bottom of it.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Produce Safety Starts with Creating a Culture of Food Safety with Humberto Maldonado from Organically Grown Co. | Episode 150 | 20 janv. 2026 | 00:35:17 | |
🍽️ 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 are joined by produce safety veteran Humberto Maldonado, the Director of Safety and Compliance at Organically Grown Company, straight from the Food Safety Consortium 2025. Humberto shares lessons from his 20+ years in produce safety. Starting out with the 2003 Hepatitis A green onion outbreak at the beginning of his food safety career, to his time at Driscoll's Mexico navigating auditors and growers, and his newer role. Get ready for an episode packed with food safety wisdom and practical ways to build a culture of food safety from the field all the way to the C-suite. In this episode: 0:00:00 Audits and certifications at Driscoll's Mexico 0:10:29 The 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak in green onions 0:16:17 Beyond audits to a good culture of food safety 0:25:48 Humberto's work at Organically Grown Company 0:29:57 Food safety culture from field to C-suite Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read about the 2003 Hepatitis A Outbreak Associated with Green Onions here. Learn more about the Organically Grown Company. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “One of the pushbacks I always received was, 'This is too complex for the growers to understand. This is too complex for the harvest crew people to understand.' That's not true. We are the ones making things complex. You can explain complex things in a simple way, so keep it simple.” – Humberto Maldonado We 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 Humberto, 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 | |||
| Is FSMA 204 On Its Way Out? We Were Optimistic, But It's Time to Be Realistic | Episode 149 | 13 janv. 2026 | 00:35:23 | |
🍽️ 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 are talking about some even more frustrating news on the FDA's traceability rule, FSMA 204. Back in April of 2025, the implementation of the rule was pushed off yet again, giving the food industry 2.5 years to become fully compliant. Everything changed after the longest government shutdown in US history, though, because the new funding bill blocks FMSA 204. That's, unfortunately, expected, since some of the senators who ended the stalemate received funds from food industry lobbyists. Tune in for a breakdown of the current situation with US food traceability. In this episode: 0:00:00 Food traceability policies are being gutted 0:11:17 Who's behind the death of FSMA 204 and why 0:17:54 Why food traceability is extremely complicated 0:23:38 Politicians, integrity, and helping people 0:30:27 What will happen with FSMA 204 Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the Marler Blog article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. Listen to Episode 148, where we talk about the huge increase in hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illness. Catch up with Episode 109 from April 2025, where we questioned whether or not FSMA 204 would ever actually be implemented. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ I think [FSMA 204 is] dead. I think there's going to be some companies that are going to do it, but without the government's push to do this, it will not happen across the board, which means it won't happen.” – Matt Regusci “ So, let me tell you what I love about this. The National Restaurant Association, they make all their money promoting and advocating for food safety. That's how they earned all that money that they donated to lobby against it.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Increase in Hospitalizations and Deaths from Foodborne Illnesses | Episode 148 | 06 janv. 2026 | 00:20:03 | |
🍽️ 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 are looking back before they look forward in this new year. They are unpacking an article from February 2025 that shares some worrisome stats about foodborne illness, outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths from contaminated food in 2024, all of which increased significantly from the previous year. In this episode: 0:00:00 When distances are relative 0:07:07 A recap of food recalls in 2024 0:13:43 Key findings on foodborne illnesses 0:18:06 If you don't test for it, it's not there Tune back in next week for the episode where our hosts talk about the article on how the government is looking to shut down some key food safety acts and rules. Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the Food for Thought 2025 article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. Correction: chickens fly at 175 birds per minute, not 175 miles per hour, in US poultry processing plants. You can learn more about these worrisome speeds on Episode 110. As for the acceptable levels of Salmonella in poultry, you can check out Episode 144. For a Recap of 2024’s Major Outbreaks with Bill Marler, listen to Episode 92, and for one of the major outbreaks from the first half of 2025, catch up with Episode 129. Hear more about what it's like to get listeria and survive it in the gut-wrenching Episode 122. Learn the basics of the ByHeart Infant Botulism Outbreak linked to their baby formula, check out Episode 147. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ If we're looking at why 13 [outbreaks] accounted for 98% of the hospitalizations and deaths. It's because 22% of the recalls came from Listeria. That is crazy.” – Matt Regusci “ It's mind-boggling that they are shutting down food safety programs one after another, agencies, and just different things throughout the course of the year, and foodborne illnesses are increasing.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| The Heartbreaking ByHeart Infant Botulism Outbreak and What the Food Industry Can Do to Prevent Them | Episode 147 | 30 déc. 2025 | 00:41:39 | |
🍽️ 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 are unpacking what's shaping up to be one of the worst outbreaks of 2025: the ByHeart Infant Botulism Outbreak linked to their baby formula, previously Clean Label Project (CLP) certified. There have been other cases over the years, and, unfortunately, this just happens to be the most recent one. We need to find a way to curb this. That's why our hosts are sharing not only the details of this international outbreak, but also possible solutions and straightforward practices that food producers can implement to effectively prevent outbreaks. In this episode: 0:01:07 What CLP does and doesn't test for and why 0:10:48 How Matt helped companies through outbreaks 0:15:27 How the industry can truly prevent outbreaks 0:23:23 How to ensure your product is pathogen-free 0:26:42 Why baby formula standards must be stricter 0:39:30 One of the worst outbreaks of 2025 Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Learn all about Clean Label Project in our interview with Jaclyn Bowen, the previous Executive Director, in Episode 101. Stay up-to-date on this outbreak here. Read Bill Marler's article on Operation Stork Speed. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ The only 100% way that you are not going to get somebody pregnant or an STD is: don't have sex. For the advice for the industry, the only way to be 100% sure that you are not going to have pathogens in your product is to test them all. ” – Matt Regusci “ This isn't the only case. [...] This just happens to be the most current. Now we're giving [babies] poisoned food, and it's the only food they're receiving. It's detrimental, and we need to find a way to curb this.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Safety: Don’t Kill Your Loved Ones During the Holidays | Episode 146 | 23 déc. 2025 | 00:34:42 | |
🍽️ 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!, food safety experts Matt and Francine are once again trying to convince you not to kill your loved ones over the holidays. Since last year's episode may not have been enough, they're back this year with ways to protect your family from foodborne illness this holiday season. Tune in to a chaotic episode that's full of life and gratitude, our hosts' unique sense of humor in full force, a boatload of pre-travel anxiety, and some crazy food safety stories. Disclaimer: If you're a social worker working with CPS or foster care and you end up listening to this, please do not take what Matt's saying at face value. He is indeed joking and/or being sarcastic. In this episode: 0:00:00 Holiday plans and flying with a family of 15 0:11:14 A rough year and a shout-out from Francine 0:13:05 Thermometers, wipes, and sleeping aids 0:17:02 Holiday food safety fails and how to avoid them Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode To learn more about the woman who tried to kill her ex’s family with Beef Wellington, catch up with Episode 38 | Don’t Cook Salmon in the Dishwasher! Want to read the story about the turkey that flew during Thanksgiving and other captivating, crazy food safety stories? Make sure to check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? Read our complete guide on How to Not Kill Your Family Over the Holidays. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ I bet that stuffing was absolutely amazing, sitting there permeating in all the juices overnight. [...] So, you taste all the other flavors, but not salmonella. You taste all the other flavors coming back up again after you get salmonella.” – Matt Regusci “ I got the flu a lot at Thanksgiving when I was a kid. [...] When I say the flu, we all know the flu now isn't vomiting and diarrhea.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Food Supply: Meat & Poultry Sold Direct-to-Consumers Online (Across State Lines). Good Idea?! | Episode 145 | 16 déc. 2025 | 00:37:52 | |
🍽️ 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!, food safety experts Matt and Francine are talking about a bill introduced to the Senate earlier this year, the “Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions Act of 2025.” This DIRECT Act would allow direct-to-consumer online sales of state-inspected meat and poultry across state lines. Tune in as our hosts unpack the proposed legislative changes, the potential benefits, and what it would mean for the USDA, as well as the possible food safety risks, traceability issues, and other challenges. In this episode: 0:06:17 Breaking down the DIRECT Act 0:14:33 Will traceability get better? 0:17:37 USDA vs. State inspections and exemptions 0:23:33 Will enforcement be stronger? 27:05 The big issue with the current consolidation 30:5 Where our meat imports come from Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the Food Safety News article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode. Hear the new and exciting things over at Food Safety News on Episode 143. Catch up with the Pre-Made Pasta Meals Listeria outbreak with Episode 141. Learn all about how fast the chickens fly at a poultry plant with Episode 110, as well as how upset the poultry industry is over a salmonella-filled report with Episode 144. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “This is a chink against not just the USDA's armor of the monopoly, but it's also a chink against the top meat producers in their monopoly armor. They don't want small meat companies competing against them. Not at all.” – Matt Regusci “ I'm all about helping the smaller farmers, the smaller businesses. I am all about doing whatever we can do to support them. I live in an area that that is what we are. But we need to make sure that we do it safely.” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Apparently, a Little Salmonella in Poultry is Okay. But Should It Really Be? | Episode 144 | 09 déc. 2025 | 00:23:52 | |
🍽️ 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 are, unfortunately, talking once more about poultry and salmonella. They are unpacking the concerning Farm Forward Salmonella and Foodborne Disease Report released in October 2025. The results showed elevated levels of salmonella contamination in grocery store poultry samples. Tune in to discover why poultry-related salmonella infections persist in the US, including how USDA standards fall short, the industry pushback, and what can be done to reverse this situation. In this episode: 0:00:00 The report that found salmonella in poultry 0:09:47 The unmet USDA salmonella contamination limits 0:11:58 How poultry should follow other industries' standards 0:17:56 Lessons from the US beef industry and the EU 0:22:09 The safe temperature to cook poultry Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Read the LA Times article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode and the original Farm Forward Report. Francine's LinkedIn Post with a picture of turkey packaging that showed improper handling procedures. Just in case you need a refresher on how to safely handle poultry, catch up with Episode 73 | Don’t Wash Your Chicken, Seriously. Watch Bill Marler and Dr. Darin Detwiler’s Emmy award-winning documentary, Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ While I'm not for ending commercial chicken farming, I am for ending salmonella in one-third or over 400,000 of the cases annually in consumers. You can be for commercial farming and also against poisoning people.” – Matt Regusci “ For the industry to take this attitude is just, I believe, irresponsible on their part. It shows, in my opinion, just a total lack of disregard for consumers because they've got the ability to correct it. They're choosing not to [deal with salmonella].” – Francine L Shaw We 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 | |||
| Breaking News About Food Safety News with Bill Marler, the Sponsor, and Peter Gustafson, the Fractional Executive Director | Episode 143 | 01 déc. 2025 | 00:43:42 | |
🍽️ 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 are joined by two special guests: Bill Marler, who you already know as the nation's leading foodborne illness attorney, and his wonderful son-in-law, Peter Gustafson. But this isn't a family reunion; they are here to share some very exciting news about Food Safety News (FSN), the online newspaper that has been keeping everyone who cares about the safety of our food supply informed about critical food safety concerns for the past 16 years. For all those years, Bill alone funded the publication, but that is not sustainable. Thankfully, Peter recently joined the team as a Fractional Executive Director of FSN, and they're figuring out how to change that. Tune in to discover the future of FSN and the changes that will allow it to not only outlast Bill, but to take the food safety journalism we know and love to the next level. In this episode: 0:05:58 The history and evolution of FSN 0:11:47 The importance of making FSN self-sustaining 0:19:48 The 1st solution: Google Ads and nonprofit status 0:22:50 The age of AI and the need for a new solution 0:26:27 What the new FSN+ membership will look like 0:31:43 Becoming sustainable to go above and beyond Resources from this episode Be one of the first to become an FSN+ member and lock in the founding member pricing at foodsafetynews.com/membership. Read some deep Bill Marler angst in the Marler Blog. Read Francine's opinion pieces in Food Safety News through the years. Check out the Food Safety News Merch Store. Catch up with past Bill Marler Don't Eat Poop! episodes: Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ It's not a desire to cut back. It's a desire to build. It's a desire to make something sustainable, better, and more useful for the food safety public.” – Bill Marler “I think this year we're averaging just over 400,000 page views per month, whereas last year we averaged 1.6 million pages per month [...] So as you can imagine, that [FSN's ad] revenue came down quite a bit.” – Peter Gustafson We 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 Bill, Peter, 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 | |||
| Food Safety Insights From Both Sides of the Audit with Melody Ge, CTO at EAGLE Certification Group | Episode 142 | 25 nov. 2025 | 00:44:53 | |
🍽️ 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 are joined by Melody Ge, the Founder of Women in Food Safety and Chief Technical Officer at EAGLE Certification Group, straight from the Food Safety Consortium 2025. They've been wanting to have Melody on the show for years, and it's finally worked out. There's a cumulative 70 years of experience among them in this episode, and you'll hear the stories that come along with it. Learn more about the 5-year-old Women in Food Safety community, which has recently become a full-fledged nonprofit. Get the lay of the land in the food safety auditing world, learn what's missing, and discover how Melody, who has been both an auditor and an auditee, and her team at EAGLE are working to change that reality. In this episode: 0:00:00 Melody’s 20-year career path 0:04:04 Growing Women in Food Safety 0:07:40 The biggest challenge for food safety pros 0:12:43 Food safety audit industry issues 0:15:53 Solutions for auditing, and the industry's future 0:31:45 How to help pipeline future good auditors 0:40:52 Melody's Food Safety Consortium reflections Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice. Resources from this episode Learn more about and join the Women in Food Safety through their LinkedIn or website. Noteworthy quotes from this episode “ Regardless, it's either the auditee or the auditor. We all want food safety. This is a common goal, and I never doubted that before. It's the approach and the position we're in [that are] very different. So, how can we help each other and make the most value out of it?” – Melody Ge We 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 Melody, 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 | |||