Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are talking about lead one more time, but this time it’s in Lunchables, which are part of school cafeterias and households across America.

Tune in to better understand the situation, including what it means to have allowable levels of heavy metals in food (yes, that’s a thing) and what it means in the Lunchables case.

They also dive into mold and what to do when you find a moldy surprise in your food. Tip: don’t eat it!

In this episode:

💩 [01:17] Consumer Reports investigation that found high levels of lead in Lunchables
💩 [04:09] Processed food and high levels of sodium
💩 [07:07] Yes, there is an allowable limit of lead in food, here’s why
💩 [10:33] The real issue with the amount of lead in Lunchables
💩 [14:22] Why being vigilant of heavy metals in food is so important 
💩 [16:12] Flint, Michigan and the consequences of high lead exposure
💩 [18:01] The consequences for Lunchables from this investigation
💩 [21:12] Social media perception: never tick off a mother
💩 [24:58] A moldy surprise in a free burger
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode
Read the Consumer Reports’ article on their investigation on Lunchables: Should You Pack Lunchables for Your Kid’s School Lunch?

Check out the episode where we talked about “food filth”: Over 40% of Restaurant Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Are Caused by THIS! | Episode 16.

If you’re curious about what we meant when we talked about the applesauce, catch up with Episode 51: Stanley Cups vs. Cinnamon Applesauce: Which Is More Likely To Give You Lead Poisoning?

If you want to see the moldy surprise Francine’s friend found, go here. 

Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“So, spoiler alert world, there is lead, arsenic, cadmium. All of these heavy metals are in food, a trace amount. There's really no way of getting rid of that.” – Matthew 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!
We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn! 

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! 
_______
Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, food safety industry veterans Matt and Francine are talking about food safety culture falling apart and when and where the next major food safety outbreak will be. Because it will happen, there’s no doubt about it.
They address the troubling fact that just because you think you’re company has a good food safety culture that doesn’t mean that’s true. They also point out how important it is to explain the why behind things, to be on the floor checking that things are as they should be, and to lead by example.
Tune in for this very important conversation that needs to be had about food safety culture.
In this episode:
💩 [06:17] Food safety culture, the Food Safety Summit, and ruffling feathers
💩 [08:15] Dr. Darin Detwiler’s recent article “Anticipating the inevitable”
💩 [11:48] Companies’ (skewed) perceptions of their own food safety culture
💩 [15:51] The importance of stepping into where the processes and procedures are applied, walking through them, and leading by example
💩 [19:40] Even companies that are amazing at training seem to fail to teach the most important thing 
💩 [21:40] The things we need to talk about, even if people don’t want to hear
💩 [24:23] Where the next major food safety crisis will come from
💩 [25:50] The importance of checking that the right things are actually getting done
💩 [28:15] Matt’s prediction for food safety culture in the next 2 decades
💩 [29:12] Good auditors, bad auditors, and the realities of being one
💩 [32:07] Someone found a present in their popsicle
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Read Dr. Darin Detwiler’s recent article Anticipating the inevitable: Predicting the next major food safety failure.
See the popsicle with a special present inside here.
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“The ones that don't want to hear what you have to say are the ones that need to hear what you have to say.” – Matthew Regusci
“A good food safety culture sets those policies and procedures and they follow them from the top to the team member level. And they explain the whys of why this stuff is important. They don't just say this is how we have to do 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!
We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn! 

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! 
_______
Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by RJ Palermo, the Sales Director of Food Safety Tech, which hosts the Food Safety Consortium.
So, you’ll get some insights into the Food Safety Consortium, like why this last edition was held in New Jersey and why it’s such a small event when compared to some others out there.
We also talk about the importance of content, how it drives the world now, and the impacts AI will have on the industry.
In this episode:
💩 [01:13] From outside salesperson to engagement specialist
💩 [02:06] The evolution and future of how to get your brand out there
💩 [03:23] The most engaging content on Food Safety Tech
💩 [04:14] The impact of AI in food safety and other industries
💩 [05:41] RJ’s insights into people’s favorite and least favorite parts of the Consortium
💩 [07:19] What trust means to RJ
💩 [07:31] How to create better engagement and sales within the Consortium
💩 [11:45] What it’s like to work with Food Safety Tech
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episodeFood Safety Tech website: foodsafetytech.com Register for the Food Safety Consortium 2024 here.
Noteworthy quotes from this episode“Banner ads are important to get your brand out there, but it's other content that drives it, whether it be webinars, web seminars, and the Consortium itself.” – RJ Palermo

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are diving back into food allergies. In episode 55, they interviewed Betsy Craig, the CEO and Founder of MenuTrinfo, who is a leader in the food allergen space. However, this is an important topic that deserves to be revisited.

Today, our food safety veterans are sharing some important data about food allergies, commenting on two tragic food allergy-related deaths reported by the media, warning about hidden allergens that we may not be aware of, and more.

Tune in to also hear about and understand the debate over “Would you rather eat a raw caterpillar or raw chicken?” (Yes, this is seriously a topic of conversation.)

In this episode:
💩 [02:32] Diving deeper into food allergies with some important data
💩 [04:53] Allergies in children: 1 in 13 children in the US have food allergies
💩 [06:21] 2 recent and tragic food allergy deaths in the news
💩 [09:28] People with food allergies are protected by the ADA
💩 [10:32] The dangers of food allergies versus the dangers of fentanyl
💩 [11:44] Undeclared allergens are the leading cause of recalls in the US
💩 [12:50] Hidden allergens that we normally wouldn’t know of or think about
💩 [14:02] The challenges of eating out with food allergies
💩 [16:48] Some extra protein inside someone’s In-N-Out peppers
💩 [18:50] Busy restaurants and being served raw chicken

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Catch up with Episode 55: Making Food Safe For Everyone (Not Just Some) with Betsy Craig, CEO and Founder of MenuTrinfo®.
Learn more about the young woman who died from an allergic reaction after eating a mislabeled cookie here.
Learn more about the New York doctor who died from an allergic reaction after dining at a Disney World restaurant here.
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“Food allergies cause 30,000 cases of anaphylactic shock, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths annually.” – Matthew Regusci
“People don't take it seriously enough to be properly trained and educated.” – 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!
We'd love to hear from you!
Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn! 
Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.
Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! _______
Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, food safety industry veterans Matt and Francine are joined by the “Glove Guy”, Steve Ardagh, the CEO and Founder of Eagle Protect. He is really passionate about food safety and his mission is to save the world one glove at a time.

Steve challenges the assumptions we have about gloves and helps shine a light on the food safety gap that comes from the use in the food industry of disposable gloves that are neither clean nor intact.

Get ready for some shocking and eye-opening stories that Steve has to share. I’m sure you too will never look at disposable gloves the same after listening to this episode.

In this episode:
💩 [01:15] Saving the food industry one glove at a time
💩 [03:10] The great experience at the intimate Food Safety Consortium
💩 [04:15] An overview of the glove industry and market in the US
💩 [05:35] Turns out disposable gloves aren’t as clean as one would imagine
💩 [08:54] The big food safety gap no one is talking about
💩 [10:57] The role of graphic details in raising awareness
💩 [14:11] Challenging the assumptions people make about gloves
💩 [15:45] The regulations haven't caught up with how the gloves are being used
💩 [16:58] Steve’s optimistic view of trust
💩 [17:55] What’s great about the Food Safety Consortium and what could change
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Eagle Protect Website eagleprotect.com 
Catch up on the episode we mentioned Episode 15: Sell Your Poop!
Register for the Food Safety Consortium 2024 here.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“Every time you bring a box of gloves into your food processing facility, you're bringing in potentially a million plus coliform units. Now, is that a problem? I'm not a microbiologist, but if some of them take hold in a dirty corner of a plant or they find a space to start propagating, then you've got a problem.” – Steve Ardagh
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!
We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Steve, Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn! 

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! 
_______
Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are talking about single-use gloves in preparation for next week’s interview episode with Steve Ardagh, the “Glove Guy”.

They expose some truly shocking truths about single-use gloves that most people can’t even fathom. I mean, who would ever think that most of the time these gloves are neither clean nor sanitary?

They also talk about the instances where gloves are misused and how they provide a false sense of security that ends up making things worse.

Lastly, they chat about something that will have you never looking at a piece of undercooked bacon the same again: tapeworms, more specifically tapeworm eggs in the brain.

In this episode:
💩 [00:49] Navigating different timezones and Daylight Savings time
💩 [03:08] Don’t Eat Poop! Podcast is in the Top 100 and it hit the charts internationally
💩 [05:34] Some shocking truths about single-use gloves
💩 [09:45] Beware the false sense of security provided by gloves
💩 [13:29] Who are the gloves to protect?
💩 [14:40] Single-use gloves in quick-serve restaurants
💩 [16:11] The quality of the gloves that are sold in the US isn’t guaranteed
💩 [19:45] Tapeworm eggs in the brain: a cautionary tale to properly cook your bacon

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Catch Up with our LinkedIn Live with Tia Glave and Jill Stuber from Catalyst: Real Talk Food Safety: Making Food Safety Fun!
Here is the Food Safety News article we mentioned: The ‘Glove Guy’ calls upon his industry to ban the sale of vinyl gloves.
Here is the brain tapeworm CNN article we mentioned Doctors identify source of man’s migraines: tapeworm larvae, likely from undercooked bacon, in his brain.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“The amount of money companies spend on gloves every single year is 10 times the budget of the food side of the FDA.” – Matthew Regusci
“One of the questions I would ask is who are the gloves to protect?” – 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!
We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn! 

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! 
_______
Produced by Ideablossoms