Food Safety Talk

This week's episode features surprise special guest Dr. Larry Goodridge from the University of Guelph. After a brief discussion of Dr. Goodridge is outstanding sartorial style, the guys get right into it with a discussion of a Dr. Oz video, with the counterpoint video from Dr. Goodridge. the discussion widens a larger conversation about how to talk to the news media and the general public about safety. The conversation segues into other Twitter inspired topics like the safety of raw marmot liver, and space tuna. From there the conversation turns to the safety of plant-based "hamburger" products and produce safety in general. The produce safety talk turns into a discussion about climate change and flooding before wrapping up with talk about the differences between US, Canadian and UK shelf-life requirements. The show ends with a discussion about hockey and merchandise including T-shirts and mugs. In the after show Don and Ben talk about Ben's MacBook woes and the time the President (no not him, the good one) came to Rutgers University among other things.

In this super long episode (sort of a double album) Ben and Don talk about their recent travels, PowerPoint as a performance and river cruising. The conversation takes a food safety turn into raw milk goat cheese, bull pizzles and veggie washes. They talk through some listener questions on surviving in the wild, foods they eat (and avoid) and pet food bowls. The show ends with some quick hits on phone cleaning, deli slicer-linked illnesses and geographical differences in pathogen exposure (and how the demise of the Aztec population is like Ontario beef farming).They answer the age-old question of what to do when there's no paper towels in the restroom. They don't talk about how the Toronto Maple Leafs are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The show opens with nonfood safety talk, including Skype, hockey, and Philmont Scout Ranch before dipping into food safety and a discussion of Purell VF 481 (they are not a sponsor). Ben asks Don about fresh produce food safety, and they talk about agricultural water, and Ben mentions about an upcoming talk to high school students about food safety in their greenhouses. listener feedback inspires the guys to talk about the ongoing feud between the Washington Post and USDA FSIS. More listener feedback brings a discussion about safe recipes, and more computer terminology that might be relevant to food safety. The guys talk about restaurant leftovers, which leads to a discussion about restaurant buffets. The show ends with a discussion of packaging innovations that improve food safety, and the safety roadkill (with a brief digression into podcasts), before ending up on the topic of third-party delivery services and the kind of food safety training they need. It's a long after show after the out from music for those who are into that kind of thing.

Don and Ben record a special podcast as part of an American Frozen Food Institute webinar series. The guys walk through the AFFI Food Safety Zone website, talk about their food safety experiences with frozen foods and do some listener feedback on microwaves and meal delivery services and meal sharing.

The guys want to let everyone know up front that they will be recording a special frozen food themed episode next week with the sponsorship of the American Frozen Food Institute. The audio recording of the show will appear in the regular podcast feed, but if you want to listen and watch in real time you can register on the AFFI website at the link below. The regular show opens with a discussion about Ben's upcoming relay race across the state of South Carolina, and the reason for the early-morning reporting of the podcast. From Palmetto relays to palmetto bugs, the show dips quickly into food safety, Ben's favorite thermometer, and how smells can make both of your hosts feel queasy. There's a brief musical interlude while Ben goes to look after his dog, and after he returns he shares his adventures with a chainsaw. The food safety starts in earnest with a remembrance of Pete Snyder, and then Don talks about pesticide food safety. Then brings things back to microbial food safety by talking about a recent botulism outbreak in New York City. From there the guys transition to listener feedback where they talk about blanching versus cooking, how the FDA model food code and the food code Annex are developed. The next bit of listener feedback the guys revisit microbiological safety of citrus rind, as well as the effect of ethanol on microorganisms. There's a brief technical digression into pushing and pumping things off of stacks before a return to food safety. The guys talk a little bit about gluten-free flour, and its microbiological risks and how they might be controlled before wrapping up quickly to mention a novel technique for not spitting on your birthday cake.

In this episode, the guys jump right into a discussion on why Ben is late and how bourbon, lead and the Indy 500 might all be connected (and have a food safety thread). The discussion goes to feedback on citrus slices; using AI for diets and journalism; and, farmers' markets. Ben and Don go on to talk about cooking through slapping, the double turns out story of MSG and how magic temperatures get decided. The episode ends where it started - in the bathroom - with smart toilets and dumb soap dispensers. Oh, and a dirty, dirty salad robot.

The show opens with a discussion about privacy, whether you should cover the microphone on your computer, or how you can scare your kids using Alexa. The guys talked briefly about what they're watching, Ben's trip to Athens Georgia, and celebrity feet. From there the show moves into listener feedback talking about the safety of eating Canadian seaweed. Listener feedback makes a interesting segue into failure, and the things we can learn from it. The show returns to listener feedback with a discussion about citrus safety and infused water. For some reason Don wants to talk about smoke detectors, before returning again to listener feedback and "Contamination Corner", and ways to learn about stuff you don't know about (like filibusters). Ben and Don talk about an interview that Don did for Cooking Light, before Don wants to talk about fixing his broken software. Ben ends the show with a long discussion regarding safe cooking directions for frozen vegetables, and why no one can agree.

Don and Ben talk about UK author Nick Hornby (not to be confused with the non-Canadian Bruce Hornsby). Before they get into food safety stuff the discussion goes to the origins of hip-hop, the Beastie Boys book and Ben Folds. Don’s ongoing bit of talking about British TV comes up and then the guys discuss recent food safety talks they’ve given and Ben’s upcoming bridge tour of Athens, GA. The real food safety starts with a conversation on a Fox News host’s handwashing habits and top 10 lists of foods (and their click-bait). The guys also discuss tea water safety, Goop, how to become a process authority and software to manage food safety in restaurants. The episode ends with a phenomenal rap video on vitamins.

The show starts with a discussion of Ben’s vocals fry, which leads to an interesting digression regarding fried fish. Ben follows up with a discussion about emptying his inbox and what sparks joy. This leads to a semi-deep dive on productivity before a short segment on television recommendations. Food safety talk begins with discussion about flour safety, which moves on to a viral video on leftover pasta safety tied to food poisoning incident from more than a decade ago. There is a discussion about the safety of fast food left out of temperature control for several hours before the guys move on to listener feedback. Listener feedback covers handling wedding leftovers, canning borscht, and the benefits using aseptic technique when pouring milk. Listener feedback is interrupted by more discussion of food safety in the news, and a recipe for overnight cooking, and crockpot safety. Ben discusses pet food safety, before returning to listener questions on the proper sanitary technique for disinfecting a spatula left behind the stove for a year, and confusing deli meat labels, before the show ends with a brief chat about microbiological risks from sinks and how they are spread.

Ben and Don chat about student mentoring philosophies and the stuff they are watching/reading and then run through some listener questions. Topics include hot-holding, toilet plumes and good samaritan laws and where they cross-over with food safety. The episode then goes to working on food safety for federal administrations and the impacts of the government shutdown on public health and inspection.

Part two of the holiday extravaganza was recorded the day after Christmas. The show opens with Ben providing an update on his NC State Kitchen installation while Don imagine’s 1980’s music videos. The rest of the show covers the listener feedback left over from the last episode and finishes with brief critique of ESPN’s stadium food safety story.

It’s a Christmas miracle as Don and Ben finally align schedules after snow kept Ben from his microphone and Don’s travel. After a little bit of banter on construction noises, and Canadian cocktails, the guys talk about egg nog and the effects of alcohol on Salmonella. The conversation goes to eating human flesh and brains (the guys are not fans) and mycotoxins in a fermented Chinese tea, puerh. Don and Ben chat about cleaning retail stores after recalled produce has been on display and whether Romaine lettuce is now worry-free.

Food Safety Talk 170: Pants Pants Pants!

The episode starts with a quick discussion of books the guys are planning on reading this week, and a book that arrived mysteriously at the offices of many other food safety folks (including Don and Ben). The food safety discussion goes to a story of a Chicago bus driver pooping on his bus and trying to clean it up with the contents of a coffee cup; Don and Ben chat about the pros and cons of this approach. The guys tackle the safety of storing breast milk, pickling eggs in miso, and what levels of contamination may have led the Romaine-linked E. coli O157 outbreak earlier this year. The show ends on raw flour, TTIs (not STIs) and raw chicken thingies. 

The show opens with a brief tutorial on Wi-Fi signals and how to block them. The show quickly turns to hockey, Don's recent appearance on another podcast, before getting in to food safety quickly with a report from Deep Albany, and effective ways to prevent cross-contamination in sandwich shops. The guys reflect on some of the food safety greats they've met in the past, before Ben provides his regular segment on Canadian cuisine. Don talks a little bit about a great idea for a food safety tool he was once given. In a different twist on food safety, the guys talk about copper toxicity, and the dangers of making foods with ingredients sourced from the Internet. The show wraps with some listener feedback on a variety of topics. In the After Dark the guys talk about books they are reading, Ben's new favorite band and Don's selection for the alphabetically listed 50 most quoted Rutgers experts in the news.