🍽️ 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

🍽️ 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:

• Spanish scientists investigate outbreaks affecting children
• Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the risk of food poisoning due to the presence of biogenic amines in meals made from chicken meat consumed by children under 3 years of age

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

🍽️ 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:

• Why does a FDA Salmonella Mango Report look like a page out of the Epstein Files?
• GAO says FDA needs to give attention to conflict of interest policies

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