Filtering by Tag: FDA model food code

Food Safety Talk 132: Big Pot of Sponge Money

Added on August 10, 2017 by Don Schaffner.

The show starts with a discussion about importance of being on time and time management, and then quickly moves to a discussion of recent and future podcast appearances by Don and Ben. They quickly dive into actual food safety, starting with the discussion about the Food Code and the risks posed by an unenclosed outdoor bar. This is followed by further Food Code discussions related to the importance (or lack thereof) of wearing a head covering if you're bald, and Food Code definitions (or lack thereof) for 'clean' and 'balut'. Listener feedback leads into a discussion of Food Code Annex 3 and the scientific basis of the Food Code. This leads to a discussion of the importance of actually reading the references that you're citing. The guys discuss the comfy cow ice cream recall, and the importance of clear communication with customers. Ben talks about his experience cooking blue apron, and there is further discussion about meal kits safety, specifically on cooking directions. The guys get heated up on the topic of sponge microbiology, which leads to a discussion of junk science on water bottle germs, and "Water Kefir", whatever that might be. The show wraps up with a quick mention of a recent CNN article, and the microbiology of blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

Food Safety Talk 108: Hyperbole and Fire Ants

Added on September 20, 2016 by Don Schaffner.

Ben and Don are joined on this episode by special guest John "if I was a rock star you would have heard of me" Roderick. John does not like potatoes, but he does ask lots of great questions.

To hear more from John, check out his other podcasts Roderick on the Line and Road Work.

Food Safety Talk 90: What if it's a service dragon?

Added on February 25, 2016 by Don Schaffner.

The guys begin the show by recommending two albums by Willie Nelson: Yesterday’s Wine and Half Nelson. The conversation moves quickly to the E. coli O157: H7 outbreak related to the chicken salad distributed by Costco. The celery and onion mix, provided by Taylor Farms, was the ingredient contaminated with the pathogen. The scope of the recall was large because it affected so many large retailers. Ben contrasted this recall with the Salmonella outbreak linked to Hershey chocolate in 2006. In that particular case, the supplier of soy lecithin was not revealed by the Canadian Food Inspection agency.

From there the talk turns to an FDA warning letter to Gold State Nut which cites the company president for handling nuts after touching his bearded dragon. A Salmonella outbreak in 2014 was linked to bearded dragons and resulting 166 illnesses.

The show switches gears when Don shares a hypothetical food safety regulatory scenario with Ben and asks how it would be regulated in North Carolina and New Jersey. Ben notes it would be regulated via a clarification memo. This leads to a discussion of home rule. Ben mentions outbreaks in Alabama and Maryland, linked to similar events. The podcast ends with talking about the movies Legal Eagles and Star Wars.

Ben and Don conclude by encouraging the listeners to rate Food Safety Talk in iTunes.

Food Safety Talk 18: Bunkum!

Added on May 16, 2012 by Don Schaffner.

The show opens once again with the requisite Skype complaints. Don tries to impress Ben with his use of the 5by5 soundboard, but to no avail. The guys briefly discuss Ben's son Jack, Don's student (and fan of the show), Dane, and other fan of the show Michelle, who was inspired by e16 to spend the day listening to "The Hip".

As usual, the guys eventually get around to discussing food safety and the current Tempeh-borne outbreak, which is occurring in Bunkum County, North Carolina. Where Alice B. Toklas might have once lived, or not. The Tempeh in question was produced by a company called Smiling Hara, where according to Wikipedia, Hara might be a Japanese term referring for the stomach, feces in Maltese language, or pigsty in Latin. Ben has actually visited Buncombe County, because it is well established, he is a hippie. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the food safety risks of tempeh have actually been documented in the scientific literature, including the observation that "Active mycelial growth on the beans resulted in a sharp increase in pH. This was always accompanied by a sharp increase in the growth rate of the test organisms".

After the discussion of tempeh food safety, the guys move on to a discussion of the safety of cut leafy greens and proper refrigeration temperature and the FDA model food code. Of course, this leads to a mention of the Conference for Food Protection, where issues like time out of temperature control get debated. Ben points out that the Federal regulations for food processors require refrigeration at 45 F, while the more up to date Food Code says 41 F is the right temperature. He has this on good authority, as he's checked this with Kevin Smith... er... anyway, the Kevin Smith from the FDA Office of Food Safety. Ben's interest in cut leafy greens lead his student to do research, which may have lead her neighbors to think she was cooking meth in her car. In the interest of public safety, we are passing on Randy Phebus's sage advice: if you see a cooler by the side of the road, don't open it.

The guys discuss a bunch of stuff in the after-dark, and discover the amazing fact that Rochester, NY is equidistant from their respective home towns.

Food Safety Talk 18: Bunkum!