Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

  • Episodes
  • About
  • Contact us
  • Subscribe
  • Statistics
  • Merch
  • Search/Tags
mushrooms.png

101. Dirty Raw Fresh Mushrooms

February 01, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating dirty raw fresh mushrooms.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Incidence of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Fresh Ground Beef, Sprouts, and Mushrooms | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
  • Evaluation of Microbial Loads on Dried and Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) as Obtained from Internet and Local Retail Markets, Respectively
  • Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Enoki Mushrooms | Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Enoki Mushrooms | March 2020 | Listeria | CDC
  • Cultivable microbiome of fresh white button mushrooms - Rossouw - 2017 - Letters in Applied Microbiology - Wiley Online Library
  • Microbial ecology of mushroom casing soils and preharvest strategies to enhance safety and quality of fresh mushrooms
February 01, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Mushrooms
expired yogurt.png

100. Yogurt Past Its Best by Date

January 29, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating yogurt past its best by date.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • FoodKeeper App | FoodSafety.gov
  • Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in Yogurt Fermented with a Bacteriocin-Producing Thermophilic Starter | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
January 29, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Shelf-life, Yogurt
Bucatini.png

99. Drinking Soda Through Raw Pasta Straw

January 27, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking soda through a raw pasta straw.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Why Is There a Bucatini Shortage in America?
  • Bucatini - Wikipedia
  • Survival of Microorganisms in Stored Pasta | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
  • The Extended Conformation of the 2.9-Å Crystal Structure of the Three-PASTA Domain of a Ser/Thr Kinase from the Human Pathogen Staphylococcus aureus - ScienceDirect
  • Improved Electrotransformation and Decreased Antibiotic Resistance of the Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia Strain J2315 | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Effects of industrial pasta drying temperatures on starch properties and pasta quality - ScienceDirect
  • Microbiological Quality of Raw Dried Pasta from the German Market, with Special Emphasis on Cronobacter Species - Akineden - 2015 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Flour | E. coli Infections Linked to Flour | May 2019 | E. coli | CDC
  • Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung Escherichia coli in flour – sources, risks and prevention
January 27, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Pasta, Cross-contamination
donated foods.png

98. Donated Foods at End of the Day

January 25, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from donated foods at end of the day.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Jon Fisher on Twitter: "Paging @bugcounter and @benjaminchapman. Please see this thread. Why is this a thing?" / Twitter
  • Walter Chaw 周瑜 on Twitter: "At Starbucks, we were instructed to throw away all the sandwiches/salads/protein plates at the end of the day. No, you can't take them home. No, you can't donate them. Throw them away. We considered it "theft" and you would be fired if you didn't toss them. Multiply by 31,256." / Twitter
  • Food Safety Guidelines for Food Banks | Feeding America
  • Stew of Sustainability 2020 | Fundraising Video - YouTube
January 25, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Shelf-life, Donating food
Two Beer Steak fixed small.png

97. Two Beer Steak

January 23, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from the beer in two beer steak.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • William Coney on Twitter: "Ricky or not? @bugcounter @benjaminchapman" / Twitter
  • ᴄᴀɪᴛ on Twitter: "i love this province i don’t ever want to leave https://t.co/vEmYtnu1ZD" / Twitter
  • Centreville Valufoods/ ANBL Agency | Facebook
  • Microbiological baseline study of beef and pork carcasses from provincially inspected abattoirs in Alberta, Canada
  • Bacteria on Can Lids
  • About | Valufoods | Hartland's & Centreville's Community Groceries
January 23, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Beer, Steak, Cross-contamination, Raw meat
sprouts.png

96. Eating Raw Sprouts

January 20, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating raw sprouts.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Jonathan's Sprouts - Jonathan's Sprouts
  • ISGA – International Sprout Growers Association
  • FDA Concludes Major Sampling Study of Sprouts | FDA
  • Sprout Safety Alliance | FDA
  • Advice to Consumers & Retailers | Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen Infections Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts Produced by Sweetwater Farms | February 2016 | Salmonella | CDC
  • Microgreens—A review of food safety considerations along the farm to fork continuum - ScienceDirect
  • Barf Blog - A great resource on why we should reconsider Sprouts | Marler Blog
January 20, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Sprouts
rodent gnaw.png

95. Eating Food From Rodent Gnawed Packages

January 18, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating food from rodent gnawed packages.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Gnawed food packets for sale and active rodent infestations triggers closure of businesses and restaurants
  • Mice infestations close sushi restaurant and Asian food market
  • How do Rodents Play Role in Transmission of Foodborne Diseases?
  • Rule of thumb - Wikipedia
  • List of Predatory Publishers | Stop Predatory Journals
January 18, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Rodents, Cross-contamination
franks_redhot_original_united_states.png

94. Room Temperature Fermented Hot Sauce

January 15, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making and shipping room temperature fermented hot sauce

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Kimchi Handout Colorado State
  • Frank’s RedHot
January 15, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Hot sauce, Hot peppers, Temperature, Fermentation
Inversion-Canning-2.png

93. Using The Inversion Method for Jams and Jellies

January 13, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using inversion method for jams and jellies.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Ben Stanfield on Twitter: Jam canning advice from one of the year’s top cookbooks and a celebrated chef. Risky or not?
  • Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake: Polzine, Michelle: 9781579658984: Amazon.com: Books
  • National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Jam and Jelly
  • Judging Home Preserved Foods
  • Inversion Canning - Healthy Canning
  • Food Safety Talk 217: Fruit Forward — Food Safety Talk
  • Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
  • Food Preservation Competition
January 13, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Jam, Jelly, Canning
Screen Shot 2021-01-10 at 6.00.38 PM.png

92. Refrigerating Unopened Canned Food

January 11, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of refrigerating unopened canned food.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce | Ocean Spray
  • Lyme disease - Wikipedia
  • Phytophotodermatitis - Wikipedia
  • Cranberries: Best Food for Lyme, an Ulcer, Cancer and Brain | Psychology Today
January 11, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Canned food, Refrigeration
roadkill.png

91. Eating Roadkill

January 08, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating roadkill.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • The Jungle - Wikipedia
  • FSIS Veterinary Opportunities
  • Transmission | Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) | CDC
  • Proper Processing of Wild Game and Fish - Food Safety - Home Food Safety - Food Safety and Quality
  • Occurrence | Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) | Prion Disease | CDC
  • Armadillos and leprosy: from infection to biological model
January 08, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Roadkill
bens seal.png

90. Dishwasher Seals

January 06, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from automatic dishwasher seals.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • The dishwasher rubber seal acts as a reservoir of bacteria in the home environment - PubMed
  • Dishwashers--a man-made ecological niche accommodating human opportunistic fungal pathogens - PubMed
  • Dishwashers are a major source of human opportunistic yeast-like fungi in indoor environments in Mersin, Turkey: Medical Mycology: Vol 51, No 5
  • A method to evaluate factors influencing the microbial reduction in domestic dishwashers - Brands - 2020 - Journal of Applied Microbiology - Wiley Online Library
January 06, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Dishwasher, Cross-contamination
mouthwash.png

89. Public Bathroom Mouthwash

January 04, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using public bathroom mouthwash.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Tom Joad on Twitter: "@benjaminchapman @bugcounter Is this normal? And....why? Why? https://t.co/gTEeR7Vwxx" / Twitter
  • GotFreshBreath Mouthwash Dispenser
  • All Products | GotFreshBreath
  • Manual Mouthwash Dispenser Installation Guide | GotFreshBreath
  • Biotene - Wikipedia
January 04, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Mouthwash, Restrooms
mail order meat.png

88. Mail Order Meat

January 01, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from ordering and eating mail order meat.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • David Sinclair on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman Obviously this is not safe, but I’d be curious about your thoughts on mail order meat generally: ☢️ risky or 👍 not?" / Twitter
  • https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/42356/PDF/1/play/
  • Food Safety Challenges in the Modern Food Delivery World by Donald Schaffner – In Defense of Processed Food
  • Online Purveyors of Raw Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Products: Delivery Policies and Available Consumer Food Safety Information
  • Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with nonintact blade-tenderized frozen steaks sold by door-to-door vendors - PubMed
January 01, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Meat, Mail order
Screen Shot 2020-12-28 at 2.04.42 PM.png

87. 27 Lbs of Unrefrigerated Feta Cheese

December 30, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating 27 lbs of unrefrigerated feta cheese.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Athenos Natural, Feta Cheese - 9 lb, Nutrition Information | Innit
  • Microbiological quality of white‐brined cheeses: a review - Bintsis - 2002 - International Journal of Dairy Technology - Wiley Online Library
  • Storage Temperatures Necessary to Maintain Cheese Safety - International Association for Food Protection Storage Temperatures Necessary to Maintain Cheese Safety pdf
December 30, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Refrigeration, Feta, Cheese
raw poultry.png

86. Thawing Poultry at Room Temperature

December 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing poultry at room temperature.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Savana on Twitter: "@VectorSciNikki @benjaminchapman @bugcounter You guys can probably explain more eloquently than I can" / Twitter
  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "Room temperature thawing of frozen meat is an interesting topic that comes up from time to time. If you check all of the food safety advice websites they will tell you that it is not safe to do this. (1/18)" / Twitter
  • Staphylococcus aureus - Wikipedia
  • ComBase
December 28, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Thawing, Temperature
Screen Shot 2020-12-20 at 10.03.56 AM.png

85. Doing a “Shoey”

December 25, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of doing a “shoey”.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • The shoey: Why it's a bad idea to copy Daniel Ricciardo's F1 podium ritual - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
December 25, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Shoes, Shoey
Eo5nw3IVEAAmmaL.jpeg

84. Aseptic Chicken Broth on the Counter for 2 Days

December 23, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using aseptic chicken broth on the counter for 2 days.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • (18) Glass Half Empty on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman Help! I just discovered that I left an open Tetra Pak box of chicken broth on the counter for 2 days. Smells okay. Is it risky to use it or not? https://t.co/tiCODvC33p" / Twitter
  • The Effects of Heat Activation on Bacillus Spore Germination, with Nutrients or under High Pressure, with or without Various Germination Proteins | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
December 23, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Aseptic, Temperature, Temperature abuse
Screen Shot 2020-12-19 at 8.54.26 PM.png

83. Cannibal or Tiger Meat Sandwiches

December 21, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating cannibal or tiger meat sandwiches.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • (18) fedsoc sucks on Twitter: "Steak tartare but make it fucking stupid" / Twitter
  • Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition | Wisconsin Public Radio
  • Notes from the Field: Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak Associated with Seasonal Consumption of Raw Ground Beef — Wisconsin, December 2012–January 2013
  • Welcome to CDC stacks |
  • Outbreak of Salmonella Serotype Typhimurium Infection Associated with Eating Raw Ground Beef -- Wisconsin, 1994
December 21, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Tiger Meat, Beef, Raw meat
Orange-peel.jpg

82. Peeling Clementines With Your Teeth

December 18, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of peeling clementines with your teeth.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Quantification of Transfer of Salmonella from Citrus Fruits to Peel, Edible Portion, and Gloved Hands during Hand Peeling | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
  • Coliforms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella Serovars Associated with a Citrus-Processing Facility Implicated in a Salmonellosis Outbreak | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
December 18, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Citrus, Peeling
  • Newer
  • Older

Powered by Squarespace