In this very special episode, Ben and Don take the stage to moderate a powerhouse panel on the evolution of retail food safety, featuring Jill Hollingsworth (Ecolab), Cory Hedman (Meijer), Laurie Farmer (FDA), and Carrie Pohjola (Wisconsin DATCP). The discussion opens with how the role of inspectors has changed, particularly around cultural competency, language barriers, and the shift toward risk-based inspections. Panelists share how both regulators and industry are using technology to improve inspections and modernize approaches without losing what still works in analog. They tackle big questions about industry-regulator partnerships and touch on a unified federal food safety agency. From there, the conversation turns personal: panelists reflect on crisis moments in their careers what they learned, and what they'd do differently now. In a rapid fire round of questions they also reveal the outbreak that shaped their careers, their first and last concerts, their favorite part of the Food Code and aspirational food safety tattoos.
Image of exactly what food scientists do from: https://scholarshipguidance.com/career-education/18240/what-skills-should-a-food-scientist-have
Food Safety Talk 322: I'm Also Not A Food Scientist
In this episode, Don and Ben are joined by a mystery guest, Dr. Xenia Morin, Don's great colleague at Rutgers who works at the intersection of science, social science and society, specifically around food systems. Their discussion focused food disparity/hunger and waste. Xenia, Don and Ben dive into food donations, food sharing, waste and food safety. They talk through the Emerson Act (which is frequently referred to the Good Samaritan Act). They explore community fridges and food sharing apps. Their discussion goes to the intersection of legal issues and microbial safety when redistributing surplus food.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Federal Liability Protection For Food Donation LEGAL FACT SHEET
Food Law & Policy Focus Areas and Projects - Center For Health Law and Policy Innovation
2025 Biennial Meeting | Biennial Meetings | Conference for Food Protection
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Personnel Directory (Rutgers NJAES) Sara Elnakib
Evaluating North Carolina Food Pantry Food Safety-Related Operating Procedures - PubMed
Five Strategies For Reducing Greenhouse Gases Through Food Waste Reduction
Food Safety Talk 255: Crunchy Granola Hippie Town — Food Safety Talk
Can infant formula and baby food be used after the date expires?
Food Waste Solutions & Statistics - Reducing Food Waste in the U.S.
‘Sludge’: Short film on Maine’s PFAS crisis selected for local film festival - YouTube
Webinar from Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 — NJ Association for Food Protection
Food Safety Talk 321: My Favorite Marsden
The guys start the episode talking about their respective treadmills and then get into some stuff they are watching. They do some follow-up about the great episode on botulism with Jane Talkington. The conversation shifts to talk about the federal government's transition and the impacts on the food safety system. Don and Ben talk about the historical challenges of outbreak investigations with lots of agencies involved as well as the public health investigation course Ben co-created with partners at NC State, FDA and NASDA. They end the show playing a food safety myth game based on some online articles.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Best Treadmills for Home Fitness | LifeSpan Fitness – LifeSpanFitness
Walking to work: NextDesks and LifeSpan treadmill - BrettTerpstra.com
Announcement: Jim Oehmke is Chair of DAFRE and Director of Economic Development : Newsroom
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Personnel Directory (Rutgers NJAES)
Snoop Buys a Nail Gun – Best Scene from “The Wire” : r/videos
He mean Lexus, but he ain’t know it. Snoop Pearson - YouTube
Fight Germs on Hands and Surfaces | #1 Brand of Hand Sanitizer in U.S.
Deborah Talkington Obituary (1954 - 2016) - Thomson, GA - The Augusta Chronicle
All Creatures Great and Small | Masterpiece | Official Site | PBS
129th AFDO Annual Educational Conference – Association of Food and Drug Officials
Podcast Analytics Team - Operations, Information and Decisions Department
FDA layoffs spark concerns over nation’s food safety - Marketplace
FDA, NC State, NASDA launch public health food inspections course | Food Safety News
NC State partners with the FDA to launch new public health inspection course
When People Got Sick: Listeria Outbreak, Supplement Shakes, February 2025 | Listeria Infection | CDC
Food Safety Myths You Need To Stop Believing, According To An Expert
Ben at the finish line of the Tobacco Road half marathon. It was a fair weather day.
Food Safety Talk 320: Fair Weather Runner
In this episode, Ben and Don start with some warm up chatting about Decoding the Gurus, George Strombolopolis (which Don thinks is a made up name, but it is not) and James Acaster's obsession with a nemesis. The conversation then shifts to food safety regulation (after a quick detour through international hockey and Ben describing his fanboy moment with risk communication pioneer Vincent Covello) as the guys chat about the latest impacts of federal government cuts to FDA - personal, programatic and how it may impact the safety of the food supply. Before wrapping up, Ben and Don discuss recent food recalls (and an upcoming talk Don is giving) and their hot takes on why we might be hearing more about foodborne illnesses and recalls, despite the fact that tracking shows that events aren't necessarily higher.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Decoding Academia 32: Do Babies REALLY like good guys? - Decoding the Gurus
This Is My… With Gabby Logan, James Acaster and Lee Mack | Would I Lie To You? - YouTube
Trump Goads ‘51st State’ Canada Ahead Of Hockey Grudge Match - Barron’s
FDA layoffs spark concerns over nation’s food safety - Marketplace
Food Recalls & Supply Safety – New York Institute of Food Technologists (NYIFT)
Food Safety: Status of Foodborne Illness in the U.S. | U.S. GAO
Are food recalls rising? Despite concern, the number is dropping. - The Washington Post
Understanding FSIS Food Recalls | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Going Public: Early Disclosure of Food Risks for the Benefit of Public Health - PubMed
Times Herald, Washington, District of Columbia · Sunday, November 12, 1922 (image via Jane Talkington)
Food Safety Talk 319: I'm Feeling Botchy Today
Ben and Don are joined by a very special mystery (to Ben) guest, Jane Talkington, author of Recognizing Botulism: New Insights from Old Narratives. After an always embarrassing game of 20 questions, they dive right into Jane's book, how she came to be interested in historical bot cases as well as the stories around research into antitoxin and the food safety world's understanding of the pathogen. Jane shares her personal connection to a bot victim as well as many accounts of the long term impacts of the toxin on people. Don figured Ben would be way into these tales and anecdotes and he was right.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Food Safety Talk 318: Head Grime And The Lice — Food Safety Talk
Peoria’s resident botulism historian is out with a new book on the rare illness | WCBU Peoria
Botulism Victim Settles With Castleberry After… | Marler Clark
Botulinum Neurotoxin-Producing Bacteria. Isn’t It Time that We Called a Species a Species? - PMC
Notes from the Field: Large Outbreak of Botulism Associated with a Church Potluck Meal — Ohio, 2015
Canned Ripe California Olives Spread Botulism in 1919 | Food Safety News
The recent outbreak of Iatrogenic botulism: point of view from the present world: editorial - PMC
Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens - PMC
An AI generated whimsical illustration of lice playing guitars. The scene is lively and fun, perfect for a creative touch.
Food Safety Talk 318: Head Grime And The Lice
After a quick discussion of the ongoing saga (that has now come to a conclusion) of Ben's bricked AirPods and baths, Ben and Don jump into food safety stuff. They start with the question of the moment, "Why are we hearing so much about outbreaks and recalls right now?". The guys dive into tracking foodborne outbreak investigations, walk through CDC's BEAM Dashboard and talk through food recall data and a recent Washington Post article, exploring whether this trend reflects improved food safety or simply shifts in reporting. The conversation then turns to the fallout (regulatory and communication challenges) related to a couple of enoki mushroom Listeria outbreaks. Don talks about California's date label law which might provide some impacts on food waste, but the guys talk about the challenges. The show ends on new EU research that examines the microbiological safety of plant-based meat alternatives and a flow chart of diarrhea.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (Official Audio) - YouTube
Publisher’s Platform: Have I missed any outbreaks over the last few months? | Food Safety News
Active Investigations of Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks | Foodborne outbreaks | CDC
Are food recalls rising? Despite concern, the number is dropping. - The Washington Post
An Analysis of Food Recalls in the United States, 2002–2023 - ScienceDirect
The World Champion Squirrel Cook Off Is an Arkansas Tradition - Eater
Date Labels and the New California Law - National Agricultural Law Center
California Passes Game-Changing, First-In-The-Nation Law To Standardize Date Labels
Buffett and Munger speak: Berkshire Hathaway 2021 oddities and highlights | Helytimes
Jimmy Buffett Says “Come Monday” Saved His Life | Letterman - YouTube
M&S removes use-by dates from milk to reduce waste | Retail industry | The Guardian
Investigation of Adverse Event Reports: French Lentil & Leek Crumbles (June 2022) | FDA
Will I Have Diarrhea? A Flow Chart - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Generative AI image of number of golf carts parked outside of a brand new Trader Joe's grocery store in North Carolina
Food Safety Talk 317: Golf Cart Grocery Store
In this episode Don and Ben jump right in and do a deep dive on the media coverage of food safety-related outbreaks and recalls. The guys talk about participating in some recent national news interviews and providing background on whether there are more outbreaks right now (there aren't) and if not, why is everyone talking about food safety (the guys have some guesses). The conversation goes to being a public figure as an academic and how to build those skills. Don and Ben also talk about food science/food safety students exploring the career of regulation. The show ends on a discussion of a raw milk linked recall due to contamination with Avian Influenza virus.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
HAPPY DAYS - “Fonzie Moves in Over the Cunninghams Garage” - The Fonz - YouTube
Our Food Keeps Getting Recalled. Here’s What to Do. - YouTube
Food safety concerns rise ahead of Thanksgiving after recent outbreaks - Good Morning America
Food science expert shares tips to avoid eating contaminated food | Morning in America
About the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) | NORS | CDC
Opinion | How to Talk About Fluoride, Vaccines and Raw Milk - The New York Times
Opinion | What R.F.K. Jr. Might Do on Vaccines - The New York Times
Michael C. Rogers, M.S., Associate Commissioner for Inspections and Investigations (ACII) | FDA
Dr. Lynette Johnston - Assistant Professor and Food Safety Extension Specialist
Science-Based Information on Health, Nutrition, Food Safety, and Agriculture
What’s Going on With All of These Food Recalls? - The New York Times
We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan Peterson review — rambling, hectoring and mad
Bird flu detected in raw milk sold in California, health officials say
Bart Simpson vibing and thriving
Food Safety Talk 316: Vibing And Thriving
Don and Ben start the show with some guest invite requests that they have received recently, which they poke fun at (especially when the request is for the show they don't do with guests). The guys do some followup from Risky or Not really focusing on a recent E. coli outbreak linked McDonald's Quarter Pounders. Fresh sliced/slivered onion contamination gets a deep dive with the discussion going to storage and growth of pathogens. They also explore some unique food safety news stories, including a mass Staph outbreak at a seafood distributor (not related to seafood produced there), Ontario's mysterious butter bandits, and a pizzeria that accidentally sold THC-laced pizza.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
676. Drinking Beer When the Bottle Has Been in Contact With the Beer — Risky or Not?
The Future of Digital Food Safety Management with Eric Moore | Trustwell
Warren Zevon – Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song) Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
The Dilemma at the Center of McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak - The Atlantic
Publisher’s Platform: A Bit(e) of McDonald’s E. coli history | Food Safety News
Hemorrhagic Colitis Associated With a Rare Escherichia coli Serotype
Person accidentally poisoned 46 coworkers with toxin-loaded homemade lunch
MDH: Staph food poisoning responsible for 46 illnesses in Jessup
How a pizzeria mistakenly sold THC-laced pizza - The Washington Post
A loophole in federal marijuana law has led to the creation of new THC product : NPR
Congress Accidentally Legalized Weed Six Years Ago - The Atlantic
Image courtesy of Ben Chapman
Food Safety Talk 315: We're On Nicki Time Today
The guys start the episode talking about Canadian words and terms that aren't used in the US and get into service opportunities in food science and food safety. and then jump right into a deep dive of apple cider safety talk. The guys talk recent concerts that Ben has attended (it was a big week) and then turn their conversation to hurricanes Milton and Helene and the food safety and community impacts in North Carolina and elsewhere. They end the show talking about a Gallup poll related to US public's confidence in food safety and the regulatory system.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
TIL Canadians say “Pencil Crayons” instead of “Colored Pencils” like Americans : r/todayilearned
Food Safety Talk 312: 37 Things Are Not Going To Happen On Thursday — Food Safety Talk
Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) - Board Of Directors Nominations & Applications
They came to Asheville looking for a ‘climate haven.’ Then came Hurricane Helene : NPR
Live updates: Hurricane Milton’s storms arrive in Florida | CNN
Health departments warn consumers about apple cider safety this fall | Food Safety News
Trust in Government Assurance of Food Safety Hits Record Low
Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens - PMC
Healthy People 2030 Framework - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
Reduce infections caused by Listeria — Data - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
Reduce infections caused by Salmonella — Data - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
Reduce infections caused by Campylobacter — Data - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
Reduce infections caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli — Data - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov
A generative AI image of a science club speakeasy, with a secret door where someone has to say a password
Food Safety Talk 314: They Don't Let Just Anybody In
Ben and Don kick things off with a quick discussion about Ben's trip to USDA for a National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) meeting the latest updates from the. They riff on how these guidelines set the gold standard for food safety across federal agencies as well as how the food industry looks at emerging food safety issues. From there, they share a virtual tour of the USDA’s iconic South and Jamie L. Whitten buildings—a quick stroll down memory lane, including a few constructive critiques on bureaucratic décor. Switching gears, they dive into the recent Emmy win for Poisoned, the documentary on foodborne illness where FST friend Bill Marler is a main character (and Ben make's a cameo). The discussion shifts to disaster preparation and recovery, specifically related to Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, touching on how floods and power outages affect food safety. Rounding out the episode is an exploration of the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs, flour and pathogenic E. coli and Listeria in Boar's Head liverwurst.
This is CDC’s logo, where the infamous (and famous) Scallan foodborne illness estimates work was completed.
Food Safety Talk 313: We've All Read Scallan
Don and Ben begin the show talking about walking and tracking fitness in the iPhone universe. They move on to some Apple TV+ shows and other media and Ben talks about his trip to the National Academy of Sciences. For most of the episode, the guys do a deep dive on the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats (specifically liverwurst). They talk inspection non-compliances (a year's worth of them) and common trends seen in a document that was acquired through a Freedom Of Information Act request. The guys end the show on a game that Don loved, "what 6 kitchen items should you replace immediately" (spoiler alert Don did well).
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
How much Twitter’s top investors have lost on Musk’s deal - The Washington Post
‘Dilbert’ Cartoonist Scott Adams Was Not ‘Canceled’ | Cato Institute
The Food Forum 30th Anniversary: Proceedings of a Symposium | The National Academies Press
Bring Your ‘A’ Game. This phrase, that most of us have heard… | by Be Phenomenal Movement | Medium
Food Safety Talk 259: No Bill, You Pay Us — Food Safety Talk
Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules: Records | AP News
When People Got Sick: Listeria Outbreak, Meats Sliced at Delis | Listeria Infection | CDC
Bugs, mold and mildew found in Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly listeria outbreak - CBS News
State Cooperative Inspection Programs-Revision 3 | Food Safety and Inspection Service
Building food safety into the company culture: a look at Maple Leaf Foods - PubMed
Gwyneth Paltrow: Crawling with parasites and in need of a cleanse - Decoding the Gurus
Photograph by Dan Kullman, from https://www.kouroshdini.com/about-kourosh/
Food Safety Talk 312: 37 Things Are Not Going To Happen On Thursday
In this bonus episode, Don and Ben are joined by productivity and task management expert Kourosh Dini, who's well known for his deep dives into mindfulness and systems thinking. The guys riff on the pros and cons of apps like OmniFocus, TaskPaper, and Slack. There's pretty much no food safety in this episode, which is ironic based on the name of the show. They spend some time talking about how life pulls us in so many directions which competes with making progress on big and small projects. Kourosh shares his take on the anchor technique for grounding decision-making. Don and Ben get into the weeds on their own productivity hacks, including a few rabbit holes about getting things done in the chaotic world of food safety and academia. The guys discuss practical approaches to managing tasks effectively, avoiding burnout, and how reflecting and planning for productivity plays a role in getting better at actual productivity.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Food Safety Talk 311: Nootropics Same As The Old Tropics
The show starts with Ben's IT password troubles and then get into follow-up from Ben's trip to Canada, including the challenges of only having untreated lake water and family dynamics. Don gave some updates from IAFP including the always exciting constitution and bylaw changes from the business meeting. The guys go on to talk about high pathogenic Avian Influenza, retail sliced deli meats. Another topic they discuss is recreational drugs in foods and the regulatory issues that pop up. The show ends on digging into Listeria in produce and a raw milk-linked outbreak in California.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
CrowdStrike says more than 97% of Windows sensors are back online - CBS News
What does ‘never go with a hippie to a second location’ mean? - Quora
Reconcilable Differences #180: I’m Doing a Lot of Stuff with Computers Right Now - Relay FM
603. Drinking Water That Had a Body in It for a Month — Risky or Not?
591. Drinking Water From Switzerland’s 7,000 Lakes — Risky or Not?
Lyrics for Almost Cut My Hair by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Songfacts
IAFP Annual Meeting - International Association for Food Protection
TWiV 1134: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | This Week in Virology
Risk warnings are not pausing raw milk consumption | Food Safety News
Congress Accidentally Legalized Weed Six Years Ago - The Atlantic
Investigation of Illnesses: Diamond Shruumz-Brand Chocolate Bars, Cones, & Gummies (June 2024) | FDA
Investigation Details | Listeria Outbreak Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis | CDC
Food Safety Practices Linked with Proper Refrigerator Temperatures in Retail Delis - PubMed
Interagency Risk Assessment: Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens
Retail Deli Slicer Cleaning Frequency–Six Selected Sites, United States, 2012 - PubMed
FSHN13-10/FS234: Establishing a Lot through Sanitation Clean Breaks in Produce Packing Facilities
Stutz Packing Co. Recalls Walnut Product Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA
5 Tips to Consider When Preparing Recommendations for Changes to Retail Food Policy | FDA
Grizzly Bear by A.J. Casson
Food Safety Talk 310: Underground Bear Meat Economy
Don and Ben are joined by repeat special guest Larry Goodridge from the University of Guelph (this marks Larry's third time on the show from two different continents). Larry joins the show from Rome where he was spending time working with FAO on international food safety things. After a quick game of guess the guest, the three talk about IAFP, Larry's Ivan Parkin Lecture and the large topic of misinformation/disinformation in online and social media discussions. The topics they cover include leftover soup issues, supersharers, botulism from home canned foods and how almond milk might get contaminated with Listeria. Oh they also talk about how bear meat from Saskatchewan led to some parasite illnesses in the U.S.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Amazon.com : Teacher Created Resources Colorful United States of America Map Chart : Office Products
Program Information - International Association for Food Protection
Ivan Parkin Lecturer - International Association for Food Protection
Kendra F on X: “@bugcounter I’m getting mixed messages 😖” / X
Starship - We Built This City (Official Music Video) [HD] - YouTube
2 California sisters in ICU with botulism amid outbreak traced to home-canned nopales
Trichinella spiralis: Effect of high temperature on infectivity in pork - ScienceDirect
Silk, Great Value vegan milk recalled over Listeria concerns | Montreal Gazette
Food Safety Talk 309: Welcome to Feet Safety Talk
In this episode, Don and Ben start by promoting their merch and then get into soccer, concert news and footwear fashion. The guys talk about websites posing as local news sites and do a deep dive on a recent FDA warning letter to Dollar Tree around recall efficacy (specifically related to lead in cinnamon containing apple sauce products. They talk about raw milk (and the excitement around Avian Influenza) as well as influencers promoting the food for virus protection reasons. The guys talk about a botulism outbreak linked to an aioli-type product (and how it's not always the eggs and/or mayonnaise).
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Future Islands | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
TheBASIE.org - The official home of the Count Basie Center for the Arts
Clogs, Shoes & Sandals | Free Shipping | Crocs™ Official Site
OSF Preprints | The Consumption of Pink Slime Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, and Why?
Public Response to the Contaminated Spinach Recall of 2006.pdf
Glass Vases, Party Supplies, Cleaning & More | DollarTree.com
SKKB on X: “@benjaminchapman Dan Fone has his work cut out for him” / X
Dollar Stores: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - YouTube
Environmental Antecedents of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, United States, 2017–2019 - ScienceDirect
Raw Milk, Explained: Why Are Influencers Promoting Unpasteurized Milk?
The Association for Dressings & Sauces - Recipes with salad dressings and sauces
Modelling the pH of mayonnaise by the ratio of egg to vinegar - ScienceDirect
Janis Joplin sang freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose - The Hindu BusinessLine
Notes from the Field: Large Outbreak of Botulism Associated with a Church Potluck Meal — Ohio, 2015
Snapchill LLC Recalls Canned Coffee Products Due to Potential Clostridium botulinum | FDA
Best in Show (4/11) Movie CLIP - Naming Nuts (2000) HD - YouTube
Status Update on FDA’s Infant Formula Response Activities | FDA
DALL-3 generated cucumbers in a net
Food Safety Talk 308: It's Not Cucumber Net
Don and Ben are joined by two special guests, Michelle Danyluk and an anonymous guest and frequent contributor, Deep State. Ben finally wins a "guess the special guest" game. The group spends most of their time on two big topics: deconstructing the Salmonella/cucumber outbreak/outbreaks and the complicated landscape of local and state jurisdictional regulations and enforcement.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (June 2024) | FDA
Fresh Start Produce Sales Initiates Recall of Whole Cucumbers Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA
Marler Blog | Marler Clark, Inc., PS | Food Poisoning Lawyer
Foods That Do Not Freeze Well - National Center for Home Food Preservation
Freezing Melons - National Center for Home Food Preservation
Dispersal of Salmonella Typhimurium by Rain Splash onto Tomato Plants - ScienceDirect
0 to 100 - ages of people sickened by Salmonella in Canada by Mexican Cantaloupe | Marler Blog
Antigenic Formulae of the Salmonella Serovars
2007 9th edition
Association of Food and Drug Officials logo
Food Safety Talk 307: Live From AFDO 2024 (bonus episode)
In this bonus episode, Don and Ben record live at the Association of Food and Drug Officials 128th(!) Annual Educational Conference. The guys talk about the podcast on the podcast, Rush vs. Neil Young and food safety tattoos. They play a game of foods that an ER doctor wouldn't bring to the beach, do some ABCCDCFA+ and talk about TikTok videos posted by restaurant employees. They get into cucumber food safety, milkshake machines, microdosing chocolate bars and warm water bottles.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
NSF Logos and Usage Standards | NSF - National Science Foundation
Rush.com | Official News and Information about the Legendary Rock Band Rush
Best in Show (4/11) Movie CLIP - Naming Nuts (2000) HD - YouTube
Florida Food Service Worker Was Fired After Only 3 Days | YourTango
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (June 2024) | FDA
Food Safety Talk 306: There's A Washcloth In This Bag Of Chips!
The show starts with the guys talking about other podcaster friends and their excitement around Canadian bands (including Rush). The guys talk about emojis posted as restaurant inspection grades and how cool that is. The discussion goes to Ben's study abroad trip to Greece and all of the cool food safety things he saw there (including the many cats of one taverna). They talk about avian influenza RNA in milk and meat and media stories related to the multiple outbreaks on poultry and dairy farms. They then do a bit of follow up on Deep New England finding something surprising in her chips as well as additional information on illnesses related to the municipal irrigation water mix-up in Lehi, Utah.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Food Safety Talk 305: Walking Cud Factories
Don and Ben are joined by surprise guest Paul Breslin from Rutgers. Paul is a geneticist who works in the area of taste and when he heard that Don had a podcast he had to be on it. After Don plays his favorite, but Ben's least favorite game of "guess the guest," where Ben almost got there, they start in on food, food chemistry, genetics and evolution. The guys talk about the ubiquity of fermentation in human foods, cooking, why foods taste the way they do, the evolution of taste receptors. They also get into questions like what does eating pure DNA or RNA taste like. They talk about hot foods/spices, electronic noses for pathogens and spoilage and some other stuff.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Paul Breslin, Ph.D. - Dept. of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers SEBS
Paul Breslin: Department of English - Northwestern University
Fermentation Seminars - Dept. of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Próxima Parada / OliverHazard, with Ben Chapman Tickets | Carrboro, NC | Cat’s Cradle
The evolution of sour taste | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
But How Does the Worm Get in Your Brain? - The New York Times
Hooters of Brunswick | East Brunswick, NJ | Hooters of Brunswick
Deee-Lite’s Groove Is In The Heart single cover
Food Safety Talk 304: Hit The Groove For Me
The guys start the episode talking about their pets and get a bit into the world of productivity. Don tells Ben about watching Shogun and then they get into some feedback and talk about some of the interesting offers they get. They talk about pathogens on lettuce, how little we really know about morels and some pesticides on produce stuff. The guys then end the show on a couple of listicles about food safety and other risks on cruises and robots making food.
Show notes so you can follow along at home:
Task Management Software Built For Pros - OmniFocus - The Omni Group
Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences - Rutgers SEBS
Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge | Ars Technica
Investigation of Illnesses: Morel Mushrooms (May 2023) | FDA
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America
Outbreak Linked to Morel Mushroom Exposure — Montana, 2023 | MMWR
Food Friday 3/29/24: Nutrition with Nicole Rodriguez, RDN | WAMC
Fight Germs on Hands and Surfaces | #1 Brand of Hand Sanitizer in U.S.
Notice of Intent (NOI) | Research Administration and Compliance