Don't Eat Poop! A Food Safety Podcast

Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw
  • 4.2 (23)
  • 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. The Failures of the Food Industry's Pizza and Stick Approach to Food Safety | Episode 154

    5H AGO

    The Failures of the Food Industry's Pizza and Stick Approach to Food Safety | 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. A Look Into the Evolution of the U.S. Food Pyramid | Episode 151

    JAN 27

    A Look Into 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. The Concerning Increase in Hospitalizations and Deaths from Foodborne Illnesses in 2024 | Episode 148

    JAN 6

    The Concerning Increase in Hospitalizations and Deaths from Foodborne Illnesses in 2024 | 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
  8. The Heartbreaking ByHeart Infant Botulism Outbreak and What the Food Industry Can Do to Prevent Them | Episode 147

    12/30/2025

    The Heartbreaking ByHeart Infant Botulism Outbreak and What the Food Industry Can Do to Prevent Them | Episode 147

    🍽️ 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

    42 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
    156
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Food Safety Specialists: Matthew Regusci and Francine L Shaw