In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine welcome back an esteemed guest onto the podcast, the food safety expert and advocate Dr. Darin Detwiler.

He’s here to spread the word about the Global Glove Safety Day initiative, taking place on September 18th, during Food Safety Education Month. This day serves as a compelling reminder that food safety is truly #InOurHands, both in a literal and figurative sense.

Of course, they also tackled some big food safety issues that need to be discussed like the need for audits and inspections to have real consequences, how policy is not keeping up with changes in the industry, the slap in the wrist nature of corporate responsibility enforcement, and more.

In this episode:

💩 [01:22] Meet Dr. Darin and learn about his work

💩 [05:34] Food safety in the US vs. in the rest of the world

💩 [08:54] Pros and cons of federalism for food safety

💩 [11:31] Boar’s Head and the need to revamp audits and inspection processes

💩 [21:00] Policy, innovation, and the speed of change in the food industry

💩 [27:11] Corporate responsibility and culture around food safety

💩 [32:38] Startling findings about gloves and why they are problematic

💩 [42:15] Examples of glove misuse

💩 [48:14] Global Glove Safety Day and Dr. Darin’s son’s tragic story

💩 [54:24] The defeat of discovering your gloves aren’t safe

💩 [57:04] A food safety insight from the Netherlands

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

Resources from this episode

Learn more about Global Glove Safety Day here.

Catch up with Dr. Darin Detwiler's previous episodes on the Don't Eat POOP! A Food Safety Podcast:

• Episode 13 | Don't Eat Poison! Dr. Darin Detwiler’s Story of Heartbreak, Food Safety Awareness, And Advocacy
• Episode 43 | Unveiling Silent Stories of Food Safety with “Food Safety Icon” Dr. Darin Detwiler

Watch the documentary “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” on Netflix.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“I'm so enthusiastic about this idea of Global Glove Safety Day, the idea of if food safety is in our hands, then maybe we should get it right when it comes to gloves.” – Dr. Darin Detwiler

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!

We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Dr. Darin, Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

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

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Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are turning their attention to the Olympics where some of the athletes were unfortunately drinking poop while competing in the river Seine.

You’ll hear all about the controversial situation, including the “cleaning” of the Seine River and the Olympic athletes that fell ill after swimming in the polluted river waters.

They also take a detour to talk about potable and non-potable water and take a long hard look at the failings of the certification process in the industry.

In this episode:

💩 [01:27] Olympians’ dedication and lifestyle

💩 [04:27] The controversial and questionably effective Seine River cleanup

💩 [08:44] 8 Olympian triathletes got sick and the lack of real answers

💩 [13:55] The problematic non-potable water survey question

💩 [19:38] Issues with qualifications and certifications in the food safety industry

💩 [24:51] Balancing calling out what’s bad and elevating what’s good

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

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“I think there are a lot of people in the industry that say the sky is falling so frequently, people just tune them out. If all you do is bash the industry for being terrible, for food safety and quality, the industry is not going to listen to you.” – Matthew Regusci

“These people, a lot of them, not all, a lot of them have some sort of certification saying that they're qualified to do what they do. At the very minimum, they should know what potable water is. We need to change our certification process or how we qualify people for these positions because clearly there's a problem.” – Francine L Shaw

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!

We'd love to hear from you!

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

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

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

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Produced by Ideablossoms

In this bonus episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Francine and Matt are joined by a very special guest, Bill Marler, a leading expert in food safety. Together, they dive into the Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak, shedding light on how things went so wrong and why it’s crucial for food companies to take responsibility when outbreaks like this occur.

You’ll hear about Boar’s Head’s food safety failures, the rise in Listeria cases across the U.S., and why transparency and accountability are the only way forward for companies involved in outbreaks.

Bill shares powerful insights from his decades of experience in food safety law, including how government agencies and corporations can prevent future tragedies.

In this episode:

💩 [01:25] Bill Marler shares his background and work in food safety law
💩 [05:20] Breaking down the Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak: What happened? Why is it deadly?
💩 [12:34] Francine’s take as a former inspector: How did this plant stay open?
💩 [18:44] Matt discusses the disconnect between corporate HQ and the facility level
💩 [27:00] The role of transparency in food safety and crisis management
💩 [39:15] Legal implications: What companies need to know in the wake of an outbreak
💩 [50:18] What consumers can do to prioritize food safety in government policy

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

Resources from this episode

Food Safety News: What you need to know about the Boar’s Head Listeria Outbreak

Food Safety News: House and Senate should act now on Boar’s Head plant

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“What does a company do if something like this happens? First, understand the science. If they tell you it’s your product, it’s your fault. Own it and take action.” – Bill Marler

“This isn’t just about Boar’s Head. It’s about transparency and how companies handle their mistakes. The whole industry is watching.” – Francine L. Shaw

“I’m never surprised anymore about what happens in the food industry. But it’s shocking to see these kinds of inspection reports get ignored.” – Matthew Regusci

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!

We'd love to hear from you!

Connect with Bill Marler, Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!

Share your thoughts and feedback on the show and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.

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

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Produced by Ideablossoms