Food Safety Talk 223: That's Where ATP Gets You

Added on October 29, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

In the annual IAFP episode, after a quick chat on shows they are watching, Don and Ben talk about the benefits and drawbacks of a virtual meeting. That conversation goes into food safety vacations and summer camp. In COVID-19 talk, they discuss Ben's brief trip to his gym and Halloween risks. The guys talk about risk perceptions and science communications and end the show on using various bioluminescence to detect "bacteria" (and other stuff) - and the limitations of those technologies.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Image from: National Museum of American History — Smithsonian Institution — Image from: National Museum of American History — Smithsonian Institution

Food Safety Talk 222: The Original Binman

Added on October 14, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

Don and Ben start the episode with a talk about adult and youth hockey and Ben's risk decision making. The conversation turns to masks, physical distancing and handling close contact exposures, regardless of setting. The conversation goes to a curious tweet on the investigation of a couple of New Zealand COVID-19 clusters where fomites (and maybe aerosols) are a factor. The guys relay some inside info from Deep Kiwi and what it might mean in food settings. The food safety-specific portion of the show includes a deep dive on new testing requirements for lettuce exported to Canada, Deep Fed feedback on honey and kidney beans, another installment of AB-CDC+ (but this one is AB-FDA+). The show ends on a discussion of storing hard cheeses in oil and Listeria in UK frozen produce.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Image from: Grading is ineffective, harmful, and unjust — let’s stop doing it by Amy J. Ko

Food Safety Talk 221: AB-CDC+

Added on October 11, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

The show starts with Ben's plans to make his kids watch political TV with a pizza bribe. The guys talk about local political activism and Ben misuses multiple literary terms. The guys talk about Halloween/COVID-19 risks and the idea of a risk continuum (where not all risks are equal and not all activities carry equal risks). The guys go on to some in-depth follow-up on Sqirl jam, mold and mycotoxins. They end the episode with quick takes on a dried mushroom-linked outbreak of salmonellosis, food safety education month and Blue Bell's criminal penalties resulting from a 2015 outbreak.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 220: It's So Close to Testicles

Added on September 29, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

This show opens with Skype talk as usual, but then quickly moves to App Safety Talk as the guys talk about their favorite software, which turns to the discussion about what's on their respective TVs. Don also asks Ben about what it was like to buy his house. Eventually the real Food Safety Talk begins with Ben's question about the safety of unrefrigerated Tea Zone Red Beans. Don has his own bean safety issues, specifically Kidney Beans in a Slow Cooker. Ben also talks about some feedback that NCExtension received about their "10 Foods to Always Keep in Your Freezer" page on thawing frozen fish. The discussion then moves to COVID-19 safety talk, and Ben is finally able to reveal is his big grant. The show wraps with a discussion on science communication and risk communication.

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Food Safety Talk 219: How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?

Added on September 12, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

Don and Ben start the episode on the original food safety story, Snow White. They move to microwaves, popcorn and shows with Greg Davies. Ben talks through a food safety issue related to home delivery of school foods that he's working and gets Don's feedback. They then do a bunch of feedback on sourdough, legionella, and magic defrosting trays. The episode ends on hand sanitizer that doesn't look like hand sanitizer.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 218: Chromebooks Are Moldy

Added on August 21, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

After a brief bit of Skype and software talk the guys move on to important topics like what you call the metal things that catch the rain from your roof, podcasting microphones and project management software. Don talks about his recent adventure with mushrooms (no, not that kind of mushrooms), before a deep dive into Salmonella in onions, and the risks of getting the epidemiology wrong. The guys also talk about the recent FDA findings regarding Cyclospora in Florida water, and what it might mean or not mean. The show ends with a whirlwind tour of listener feedback on chives vs. green onions, SARS-CoV-2 on food packaging, moldy bread, Ben's dislike of "an abundance of caution" and how we can do risk better risk communication during food recalls.

Food Safety Talk 217: Fruit Forward

Added on August 11, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

Don and Ben jump right in and talk about the current red onion-linked Salmonella outbreak and what other smart people are saying about it. They talk salsa and the challenges of sharing epidemiology and traceback information between countries and when to go public. They then revisit the methanol/ethanol sanitizer risk discussions from a previous episode and talk raw butter and ground turkey. The guys chat about moldy jam from Sqirl and dissect the online discussions around it. The episode ends on listener feedback on sauerkraut and how each host looks at food safety risks in their own life.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 216: Not a Shoeborne Disease

Added on July 24, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

The podcast opens (as it usually does) with a discussion of Skype and podcasting. Ben quickly moves to a discussion of his perfected coffee receipe with a teaser regarding the details to come on Twitter later. Ben updates the podcast on his latest purchase, while Don just wants an Anthony Fauci bobblehead. Don mentions a recent guest appearance on another podcast before the guys launch into yet another discussion of the possibility of COVID-19 being transmitted by food (spoiler alert, probably not). The guys then segue into a discussion of an ongoing Salmonella outbreak, not yet linked to a vehicle. Ben asked Don about his opinion on 3-D printed chicken nuggets, and the show wraps up with a discussion of the safety regarding black garlic.

Food Safety Talk 215: My Wooden Shoes

Added on July 11, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

Don and Ben start the podcast talking about other podcasts, editing intricacies and other general inside sportsball stuff. The discussion goes to fall plans for universities. They talk about a petition to test meat for SARS-CoV-2, airborne transmission vs. aerosol transmission vs. borne in the air - and the role of fomites in different food settings. The guys end the show talking about Sous Vide meat donuts and cyclospora in salad mixes.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 214: Tick-man

Added on June 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

The show opens with Ben discussing a phone call he had earlier that morning. From there the guys moved to talking about podcasting gear and current COVID-19 related podcasts, as well as a new show Ben is thinking about. Don discusses his blog post about the risks of methanol-based hand sanitizer. The show is briefly interrupted with real time ear-ache followup... Turns out! Then Ben wants to talk about other toxin related topics and Don mention follow-up regarding toxic Brazilian beer. Ben pitches Don on the idea of more research on food delivery and Don is all in. The show wraps with a discussion of salmon and COVID-19 and the benefits of gloves when eating burgers.

Food Safety Talk 213: Goat Yoga Is A Little Different

Added on June 12, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

Ben and Don start the episode with Don's power outage excitement and then on to some requisite Canadian content, including Kim's Convenience food safety episode (with a turns out). The guys talk about some COVID-19 questions on agritourism and other events (like weddings and funerals) and then chat a bit about world food safety day.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 212: Air Bunnies

Added on June 1, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

Don and Ben welcome guest Andrew Clarke to the podcast. Andrew previously made a very short guest appearance in episode 211, although he sounded like Dark Vader. The show opens with Andrew talking his company, Loblaws. Ben quickly steers the conversation to coffee before everyone gets congratulated for all of their awards. Ben once again talks about fanny floating in his hometown in an effort to explain why he's bad at drink tickets, and he also blames Renee. The food safety talk returns as Andrew talks about GFSI and food safety culture, which morphs into COVID-19 talk, masks and risk reduction for risk both real and imagined. Andrew ends of the show with a tantalizing tea teaser for next time.

Food Safety Talk 211: Sounds Like Darth Vader

Added on May 25, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

(Note from Ben: We had some Skype and audio issues in this episode, we tried to salvage as much as possible but it might be a bit disjointed.)

The guys start the show talking about electric bikes, foot pain and backyard (and front yard) chickens. The conversation goes to FoodNet statistics and how COVID-19 might impact foodborne illness tracking, reporting and recalls. In the second half of the episode Don and Ben are joined by Gordon Hayburn of Trophy Foods and Andrew Clarke from Loblaws (briefly) to talk about inspections, virtual audits. The show ends on a discussion of Gordon's experiences in managing COVID-19 issues as a food manufacturer.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 210: Liberty-Dibbities

Added on April 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

The show starts with Don asking Ben to help with some questions from a reporter about disinfectant wipes. After a brief digression into bacon maple jam safety, the guys segue to the risks of using fruit ripener as hand sanitizer, and from there into the risks of re-opening the economy and how to manage them. Don reads from an email message about why Taiwan has not shut down it's economy, and from there recommends a new podcast, while Ben recommends a Netflix show. They both recommend the recent SNL cold open with Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci. Ben talks about his chickens, while Don talks about loose sheep. The discussion turns to the risk of COVID-19 in food processing plants and from wet markets, as well as the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2. After a chat about biosafety labs and the risks of accidental release, Ben asked Don about the recent $25 million fine of Chipotle before the guys wrap up the show.

Joe Exotic (right) with Tiger (left) via Netflix

Food Safety Talk 209: Joe Exotic Stimulus Check

Added on April 22, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

The show starts with some French Canadian references, cousin talk and Belgium TV shows (at least one). The guys talk a bit about code switching, and Ben's rewatching of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (even the bad ones). They then talk about how COVID-19 is affecting essential employees, and what that means for the food industry and supply. Ben and Don talk about what they think about pausing inspections and go into a deep dive about a blip in recalls. The discussion shifts to chicken liver pate and forcemeats. The show ends with the guys talking about Adam Schlesinger and John Prine.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 208: Poopers on the Fritz

Added on April 17, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

This episode was recorded on Wednesday, Mar 4th, 2020 after Don and Ben had just returned from what they now know was their last two trips before everything was COVID-19 cancelled. Since they have more fresh corona-content to deliver, posting of this episode got preempted, but now that things are more corona-normal, they're getting around to getting this one out. The show starts with the usual nonsense before the guys begin to talk about PPE. Food safety related topics that are discussed include Campylobacter, contaminated Brazilian beer, as well as the food safety effects of essential oil's, bulk soaps, shopping bags, and everybody's old favorite virus, norovirus. The show dips back into pop culture right at the end as well.

Food in the toilet room (image from dc_bathrooms on Instagram)

Food Safety Talk 207: Keeping Food Out of Toilet Rooms

Added on April 14, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

This episode was recorded in February, back before stay-at-home orders, school closures and the recognition of a global pandemic. We ended up recording a couple more episodes after this that we put up because of timeliness. This one is a bit of a mess with interruptions and edits, sorry. In this episode Don and Ben deal with dog sounds, talk about British comedy shows and other things they are watching. The guys then talk about a guest pitch from someone not named Ray Romano. The guys do a deep dive on ghost kitchens and the challenges regulating them. They then talk about issues related to using consumer food purchase data to help with outbreak investigations. No deliberation, just conversation. The guys talk about how they consume news, where they stay up to date on food safety and other things. The episode ends on some listener feedback related to free venison.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

Food Safety Talk 206: The Truth Is Out There

Added on April 1, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

Don and Ben get together for their second podcast during peak pandemic. There's lots of TV talk at the beginning, since Ben is watching lots of TV with his kids. Ben also talks about other stuff he's doing with his family like playing board games. From there the guys transition to the work that they've been doing in response to the pandemic, including Don's adventures with a viral tweet, and how Ben falls victim to an April Fools prank. They both talk about the challenges posed by risk communication in the pandemic. At the end of the podcast Ben pivots to conventional food safety, and the guys discuss a really interesting Listeria outbreak that's going on with Enoki mushrooms.

Food Safety Talk 205: [Cough] [Record Scratch]

Added on March 18, 2020 by Ben Chapman.

This very special Coronavirus/COVID-19 episode starts with some beverage foley and talk shifts to technology that the guys are using to communicate in their somewhat new remote workflow. Ben and Don talk about what's in the Coronavirus literature that impacts food safety questions, about COVID-19 in poop, and lessons learned from the Diamond Princess. They talk through some of the online conversations they are having including soap and sanitizing efficacy. Both Don and Ben talk about their grocery shopping experiences in social distancing and episode ends on DIY hand sanitizer recipes.

Show notes to follow along at home:

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Food Safety Talk 204: How Percents Work

Added on February 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner.

Don and Ben open the episode with some productivity and technology talk before segueing into fake conferences and more talk about Ben's new research kitchens. Don asks Ben for his advice on sous vide cooking. Don provides a update on his visit to Chipotle HQ (spoiler alert, he's a fan now). The discussion moves to leafy green safety before Don wraps up with the story of another visit, this time to Tailor Cut Produce.