In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Doug Farquhar, the Director of Government Affairs of the National Environmental Health Association, at the 2024 FDA Retail Food Seminar & IEHA Annual Education Conference.

Doug is on a mission to encourage US states to adopt more recent versions of the FDA Food Code (only 4 states have adopted the most recent version so far) but this gets really tricky because of federalism.

Tune in as he sheds some light on just how independent every single state, county, and municipality is from the federal government and what that ultimately means for US food safety.

In this episode:

💩 [01:32] Doug’s career in environmental health

💩 [03:30] Food safety in national brands versus mom-and-pops

💩 [07:53] The impact of not doing food safety

💩 [10:41] State and local issues with guidance from the federal government

💩 [12:45] Issues when it comes to meat

💩 [14:49] Cottage food laws: it all depends on where you are

💩 [17:23] The frustrating predicament American food trucks face

💩 [20:10] Selling food on the Internet and food fraud

💩 [21:19] Peanut butter, Nutella, Vegemite, and world trade

💩 [25:54] Codex Alimentarius and selling overseas

💩 [27:10] The Food Code and why its evolution is necessary

💩 [30:44] When the media doesn’t know what they’re talking about

💩 [34:56] Very outdated CDC food safety data

💩 [37:20] Food Code adoption throughout the US

💩 [40:07] Regulation adoption within different states

💩 [41:45] Cannabis legalization in Alabama

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

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“It's very interesting because it's very complicated and the way we do it in this country, as I said, is a federalist system. The locals, the states, the federal government, they all have to work together, but really the authority, you can do whatever you want to inside your state, inside your jurisdiction, as long as you don't conflict with what the FDA is doing.” – Doug Farquhar

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 Doug, 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 sharing with you the Ask Us Anything! LinkedIn Live they did on Sep 25, 2024, during Food Safety Awareness & Education Month.

This event was unscripted and they answered questions as they came, and there were some amazing ones. They covered the need (or not) for new regulations, the differences between the EU and the US regulations, the future of food safety especially the role of AI in that, and much more.

There was even a special appearance of Francine’s famous tiara, so tune in for a light episode that’s also packed with great information.

In this episode:

💩 [02:46] What are the best ways to engage in social media as a consultant?

💩 [04:36] What new regulations do you see coming from the recent outbreaks?

💩 [10:11] Do you think retailers hold enough responsibility in ensuring consumers don't get a hold of contaminated products?

💩 [15:44] With the difference between the EU food standards and US standards do you ever see the US catching up to their level of regulations?

💩 [17:40] I don’t have the resources to visit all of my hundreds of suppliers so how do I choose which ones to visit?

💩 [20:08] What technologies/innovations do you see making the biggest impact in food safety in the next 3 years?

💩 [24:23] Do you see audits being performed by robots utilizing AI with our known shortage of auditors?

💩 [33:54] Do you see cannabis adopting the audit schemes used in food safety or are they currently being audited by SQF, BRCG & GFSI?

💩 [34:56] Book giveaway and Francine’s Goddess of Food Safety tiara

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

Resources from this episode

Catch up with the LinkedIn Live in video format here.

Learn more about the Book Giveaway and how you can win a copy of Francine’s book “Who Watches the Kitchen” at Elena Montoya’s post.

Check out the Goddess of Food Safety Award and crown Francine received from Saldesia Corporation here.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“We have to adopt technology based upon its ability to get the job done, and get the job done right, and get the job done safely, versus just adopting technology for technology's sake, which I think sometimes we end up doing.” – Matthew Regusci

“There's a definite shortage of audits. We need to find a way to make sure that the auditors that are doing these audits are actually qualified to do the audits. And we're not just sending people out there to mark off a checklist and be paid to mark off that checklist.” – 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!

_______

Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Blum, at the 2024 FDA Retail Food Seminar & IEHA Annual Education Conference.

She is the author of “The Poison Squad”, one of Matt’s favorite food safety books.

Together they explore her outrageous findings from the time before regulations that she shares in the book, as well as ways to make things change for the better.

In this episode:

💩 [00:59] Meet Deborah and “The Poison Squad” book

💩 [03:41] Food in the 19th and early 20th century wasn’t as safe as we think

💩 [08:23] Dr. Wiley, the Poison Squad, and low-dose toxicology

💩 [12:57] The embalmed milk scandals

💩 [17:48] Important regulatory movements in the US and their scandals

💩 [23:01] Good regulations with insufficient funds and little enforcement

💩 [29:06] Francine’s experience as a health inspector

💩 [31:20] How to make a difference and the holes in regulations

💩 [32:44] We’ve come a long way but not far enough

💩 [34:34] The challenges of being an informed consumer

💩 [37:04] The power of cookbooks for education

💩 [41:57] Why our lifespan increased over the last century

💩 [44:07] The “good old days”

💩 [46:23] The ongoing battle against food adulteration

💩 [48:30] Food safety in the future

💩 [50:45] Consumers misdirected anger and Boar’s Head outbreak

💩 [55:19] Revolution by inch

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

Resources from this episode

Learn all about Deborah Blum and her books at deborahblum.com.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“Back to your question, ‘How do we make things change for the better?’ We have people like you. We get the word out. We let people know that there are these issues. We don't quit talking about them. Eventually, we get change. It's never as fast as I want it to be. I've come to accept that sometimes you get revolution by inch.” – Deborah Blum

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 Deborah, 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!

_______

Produced by Ideablossoms