The Foundation of Food Safety and How to Become a Better Food Safety Professional and Leader with Elena Montoya | Episode 102

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Food Safety Sanitation Professional Elena Montoya.

She has been one of the podcast’s most loyal listeners, and if you look through Francine’s, Matt’s, and the Don’t Eat Poop!’s posts on LinkedIn, you will certainly find one of her comments, which are always very thoughtful and bring something new to the table.

So, it’s only natural that someone as passionate about food safety and helping others become the best food safety professionals and leaders they can be as our hosts should be one of our first guests in 2025.

Get ready for some great laughs (usually Matt’s fault), Elena’s inspiring story in food safety, and ways you can become part of our welcoming and enriching Food Safety Community on LinkedIn.

In this episode:

💩 [01:12] Meet Elena and her work as a food safety sanitation professional

💩 [04:49] The sanitation staff for a manufacturing facility versus a warehouse

💩 [07:35] How to address the pain point of staffing your sanitation department

💩 [09:21] What makes chemicals pre-approved

💩 [10:56] How Francine got Savvy Food Safety, Inc. off the ground

💩 [12:34] Matt brings the food safety humor

💩 [14:12] Why Elena chose to work in the field of sanitation

💩 [20:21] The challenge of engaging people of all education levels

💩 [21:22] The one ability that will make you truly effective in your food safety job

💩 [24:25] Reviewing food safety books on LinkedIn

💩 [32:00] What Elena wants the next decade or two to look like for her career

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode

Join the Don’t Eat Poop team on Wed, Feb 26, at Noon EST for a special podcast event featuring food safety experts—Dr. Darin Detwiler, Matt Regusci, Bryan Armentrout, Tia Glave, Jill Stuber, and Francine L. Shaw! Attend the event here.

Follow Elena on LinkedIn to participate in the latest Book Giveaway and discover the next best read that will help you grow professionally.

To learn more about Tia Glave and Jill Stuber, catch up with Episode 36 | How to Create a Functional Food Safety Culture within Your Organization with Tia Glave and Jill Stuber from Catalyst.

Join Tia and Jill’s Catalyst Community Book Club here.

This episode is sponsored by Eagle Protect

Did you know you can find fecal coliform on over 50% of gloves? It’s astounding to learn that many of the gloves coming into our country are contaminated. But Eagle Protect is changing that. 

They test every single lot of their Eagle Delta Zero™ gloves for microbial contamination.

This is a company truly committed to food safety. So please check them out at eagleprotect.com and get your gloves tested!

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“You're never going to succeed at anything if you don't give it your 100%. So, in my free time, I'm reading books, I'm posting book reviews, I'm studying for certifications and honestly, I don't have a life. I eat, breathe, sleep, repeat food safety, and that's why I'm committed to helping others and want to give back and protect people in the process.” – Elena Montoya

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

📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon! 

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Produced by Ideablossoms

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🧤 THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY Eagle Protect! 🧤

Did you know you can find fecal coliform on over 50% of gloves? It’s astounding to learn that many of the gloves coming into our country are contaminated. But Eagle Protect is changing that. 

They test every single lot of their Eagle Delta Zero™ gloves for microbial contamination.

This is a company truly committed to food safety. So please check them out at eagleprotect.com and get your gloves tested. Let’s not forget… Don’t eat poop!