Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast

Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw
  • 3.0 (2)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode of Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast. Join Francine L. Shaw, the savvy CEO of Savvy Food Safety, and Matthew Regusci, compliance connoisseur and founder of Fostering Compliance, as they serve up the latest in food safety with a side of laughter. Explore the ins and outs of food systems, responsible food practices, and food safety regulations. Stay informed about food safety awareness and the not-so-occasional food recall. Delve deep into the complexities of the food supply chain with our dynamic duo, who blend expert insights with a pinch of food safety humor. Whether you're knee-deep in the food safety industry or just passionate about what's on your plate, this podcast promises a fresh take on staying safe while eating well. Expect candid conversations, personal anecdotes, and occasional guest appearances that spice up the discussion. Shaw and Regusci bring their combined decades of experience to the table, making each episode as informative as it is entertaining. From industry trends to must-know food safety news and regulations, they've got your back (and your lunch). In essence, Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast is not just about imparting information; it's about fostering a culture of food safety. By shedding light on the intricacies of the food supply chain and the latest food safety news, it aims to promote awareness and encourage responsible food practices among consumers and industry professionals alike. When it comes to food safety, knowledge is power, and a good laugh is the best seasoning. At the heart of every episode is one golden rule: Don't Eat Poop!

  1. Happy 3 Year Anniversary! Let's Celebrate with Good Old Dishwasher Food Safety | Episode 155

    3D AGO

    Happy 3 Year Anniversary! Let's Celebrate with Good Old Dishwasher Food Safety | Episode 155

    🍽️ 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

    31 min
  2. Training Failures of The Food Safety Industry | Episode 154

    FEB 17

    Training Failures of The Food Safety Industry | Episode 154

    🍽️ 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

    31 min
  3. The Thanksgiving From Hell: When Actual Poison is On the Menu | Episode 153

    FEB 10

    The Thanksgiving From Hell: When Actual Poison is On the Menu | Episode 153

    🍽️ 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

    26 min
  4. The U$74.7 Billion Price Tag of Foodborne Illnesses in 2023 | Episode 152

    FEB 3

    The U$74.7 Billion Price Tag of Foodborne Illnesses in 2023 | Episode 152

    🍽️ 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

    28 min
  5. The Evolution of the U.S. Food Pyramid | Episode 151

    JAN 27

    The Evolution of the U.S. Food Pyramid | Episode 151

    🍽️ 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

    38 min
  6. Produce Safety Starts with Creating a Culture of Food Safety with Humberto Maldonado from Organically Grown Co. | Episode 150

    JAN 20

    Produce Safety Starts with Creating a Culture of Food Safety with Humberto Maldonado from Organically Grown Co. | Episode 150

    🍽️ 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

    35 min
  7. Is FSMA 204 On Its Way Out? We Were Optimistic, But It's Time to Be Realistic | Episode 149

    JAN 13

    Is FSMA 204 On Its Way Out? We Were Optimistic, But It's Time to Be Realistic | Episode 149

    🍽️ 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

    35 min
  8. Increase in Hospitalizations and Deaths from Foodborne Illnesses | Episode 148

    JAN 6

    Increase in Hospitalizations and Deaths from Foodborne Illnesses | Episode 148

    🍽️ 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

    20 min
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About

Tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode of Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast. Join Francine L. Shaw, the savvy CEO of Savvy Food Safety, and Matthew Regusci, compliance connoisseur and founder of Fostering Compliance, as they serve up the latest in food safety with a side of laughter. Explore the ins and outs of food systems, responsible food practices, and food safety regulations. Stay informed about food safety awareness and the not-so-occasional food recall. Delve deep into the complexities of the food supply chain with our dynamic duo, who blend expert insights with a pinch of food safety humor. Whether you're knee-deep in the food safety industry or just passionate about what's on your plate, this podcast promises a fresh take on staying safe while eating well. Expect candid conversations, personal anecdotes, and occasional guest appearances that spice up the discussion. Shaw and Regusci bring their combined decades of experience to the table, making each episode as informative as it is entertaining. From industry trends to must-know food safety news and regulations, they've got your back (and your lunch). In essence, Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast is not just about imparting information; it's about fostering a culture of food safety. By shedding light on the intricacies of the food supply chain and the latest food safety news, it aims to promote awareness and encourage responsible food practices among consumers and industry professionals alike. When it comes to food safety, knowledge is power, and a good laugh is the best seasoning. At the heart of every episode is one golden rule: Don't Eat Poop!

Information

  • Creator
    Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    157
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw