665. Leaving a Cut Unripe Avocado at Room Temperature for a Day

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from leaving a cut unripe avocado at room temperature for a day.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street | Recipes, TV and Cooking Tips
• America's Test Kitchen: Recipes & Reviews You Can Trust | Stream Every Episode | America’s Test Kitchen
• Richard Kimble | The Fugitive Wiki | Fandom
• Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Indicator Microorganisms on Hass Avocados Sold at Retail Markets in Guadalajara, Mexico - ScienceDirect
• Behaviors of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes on whole avocado during storage at 21 or 7°C and their reduction by aqueous chlorine dioxide and peroxyacetic acid - ScienceDirect
• Effect of storage temperature and time on the behavior of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and background microbiota on whole fresh avocados (Persea americana var Hass) - ScienceDirect
• Survival of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat “Guacamole”: Role of Added Antimicrobials - PMC
• Quality variables of “Hass” avocado stored in modified atmosphere packaging

654. Cut Watermelon at Room Temperature for One Day or More

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cut watermelon at room temperature for a day or more.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Modeling the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on cut cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon - ScienceDirect
• Survival and Growth of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Cantaloupe and Watermelon - ScienceDirect
• Growth of Salmonella spp. in Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Honeydew Melons - ScienceDirect
• Merch — Risky or Not?
• Caricature Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

625. Eating Expired Baby Carrots

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating baby carrots passed their expiration date.

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

• 556. Storing Celery and Carrots in Water in the Refrigerator — Risky or Not?
• 1: Non-Canonical First Episode — Risky or Not?
• Inhibitory effects of raw carrots on Listeria monocytogenes | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• Inhibition of foodborne pathogens by native microflora recovered from fresh peeled baby carrot and propagated in cultures - PubMed
• ComBase Models Are Valid for Predicting Fate of Listeria monocytogenes on 10 Whole Intact Raw Fruits and Vegetables - ScienceDirect
• How to Store Carrots and Make Them Last | Glad®
• Grimmway Farms Voluntarily Recalls Certain Retail-Packaged Carrots Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination | FDA

604. A Cut Apple That Has Been to School Twice

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of sending a kid to school with a cut apple that has already been to school the day before.

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

• ComBase
• Growth of Listeria monocytogenes within a Caramel-Coated Apple Microenvironment | mBio
• Multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to whole apples used in commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples: United States, 2014–2015 | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambridge Core
• Survival of outbreak, food, and environmental strains of Listeria monocytogenes on whole apples as affected by cultivar and wax coating | Scientific Reports
• Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Apples and Caramel Apples - ScienceDirect
• Prevalence of Listeria Species on Food Contact Surfaces in Washington State Apple Packinghouses | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/pdis.2000.84.2.177
• Bacterial meningitis in the United States in 1995. Active Surveillance Team - PubMed
• Foods | Free Full-Text | Updated Parameters for Listeria monocytogenes Dose–Response Model Considering Pathogen Virulence and Age and Sex of Consumer

598. Laura's Misbehaving Fridge

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing food in a refrigerator that keeps food at 42-45 °F.

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

• Changes to Cold Holding Temperatures and Date Marking- North Carolina Public Health
• The “Danger Zone” Reevaluated | Food Safety
• ComBase Home
• Parameters for Determining Inoculated Pack/Challenge Study Protocols - ScienceDirect

556. Storing Celery and Carrots in Water in the Refrigerator

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing celery and carrots submerged in water in the refrigerator.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Instagram Screenshot
• Inhibitory effects of raw carrots on Listeria monocytogenes. - PMC
• ComBase Models Are Valid for Predicting Fate of Listeria monocytogenes on 10 Whole Intact Raw Fruits and Vegetables - ScienceDirect
• Hospital-acquired listeriosis outbreak caused by contaminated diced celery--Texas, 2010 - PubMed
• Listeria monocytogenes transfer during mechanical dicing of celery and growth during subsequent storage - PubMed
• Analysis of domestic refrigerator temperatures and home storage time distributions for shelf-life studies and food safety risk assessment - ScienceDirect
• Food Safety Knowledge of Consumers and the Microbiological and Temperature Status of Their Refrigerators - ScienceDirect
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fur-Chi-Chen/publication/256115808_Comprehensive_evaluation_of_temperatures_within_home_refrigerators/links/5540dfcb0cf2718618dbb655/Comprehensive-evaluation-of-temperatures-within-home-refrigerators.pdf

555. Reusing a Prosciutto Plastic Bag

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of reusing a plastic bag for storing prosciutto in the refrigerator.

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

• Prosciutto - Wikipedia
• Amazon.com - FloWorks Design Elegant Wood Bag Dryer for Plastic Bags - Plastic Bag Dryer Rack for Better Kitchen Organization - Foldable & Hangable Plastic Bag Drying Rack - Reusable Bag Drying Rack
• Investigation Details | Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat and Cheese | CDC
• Interagency Risk Assessment: Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens - Technical Report
• Imported Prosciutto Products (Listeria) | Food Safety and Inspection Service

544. Toddler Getting Into Kitchen Trash

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks a toddler getting into kitchen trash.

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

• Norovirus Outbreak Related to Contaminated Surfaces | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic
• Full article: Occurrence of bacteria and biochemical markers on public surfaces

504. The Chipotle Autocado

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks posed by the avocado cutting machine known as the Autocado.

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

• Lee Katz @lskatz@mstdn.science on X: "@benjaminchapman @bugcounter introducing the autocado, a new avocado cutting machine. #riskyornot? I feel like it would be risky unless there is a really good plan to clean it. Thinking of this FDA report too with all the contamination on the rinds. https://t.co/Fi0BDfDInv" / X
• Meet Chipotle’s New Guacamole Robot, Autocado
• James Marsden | LinkedIn
• Kerry Bridges | LinkedIn
• You need to wash avocados, unless you want listeria
• Evaluation of Avocados as a Possible Source of Listeria monocytogenes Infections, United States, 2016 to 2019 - PubMed
• Internalization of Listeria monocytogenes in Whole Avocado - ScienceDirect
• Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in Avocado Pulp and Processed Guacamole - ScienceDirect
• Successful management of Listeria spp. in an avocado processing facility - ScienceDirect
• 334. Snacklebox — Risky or Not?
• The other James Marsden - Wikipedia

481. Eating Chopped Salad From Portillo’s While Pregnant

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating a chopped salad from Portillo’s while pregnant.

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

• Salads | Portillo's
• People at Risk: Pregnant Women | FoodSafety.gov
• Quantitative Assessment of Relative Risk to Public Health from Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes Among Selected Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods | FDA
• National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Dashboard | CDC
• Listeria monocytogenes in Gorgonzola: subtypes, diversity and persistence over time - PubMed
• Listeriosis associated with gorgonzola (Italian blue-veined cheese) - PubMed

441. Pooled Eggs in the Fridge for 10 Days

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing cracked pooled eggs in the fridge for 10 days.

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

• Pocket Full of Kryptonite - Wikipedia
• Romeo Toledo | LinkedIn
• Romeo T. Toledo's research works | University of Georgia, GA (UGA) and other places
• Toledo
• Isolation of Listeria Spp. From Faecal Samples of Cracked Egg Fed Chickens and Rapd Analysis of Listeria Monocytogenes Strains

423. Pastor Pinkston's Plentiful Pork Products

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frozen corn dogs in the refrigerator for several weeks.

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

• Classic | State Fair Corn Dogs
• Listeria Fear Prompts 372,000 Pound Hot Dog, Corn Dog Recall | Food Manufacturing
• Sara Lee Corp. Pleads Guilty In Meat Case - The New York Times
• Update: Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis -- United States, 1998-1999

419. Frozen Mixed Veggies in Yogurt

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of mixing uncooked, frozen vegetables into yogurt and storing for several days in your refrigerator.

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

• 163. Corn and Peas Microwaved for 90 Seconds — Risky or Not?
• Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Frozen Vegetables | Listeria | CDC
• Frederick Breidt : USDA ARS

314. Unrefrigerated Cut Watermelon Over Night

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating cut watermelon left unrefrigerated overnight

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Growth of Salmonella spp. in Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Honeydew Melons | Journal of Food Protection
• Effect of time before storage and storage temperature on survival of Salmonella inoculated on fresh-cut melons - ScienceDirect
• Survival and Growth of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Cantaloupe and Watermelon | Journal of Food Protection
• Modeling the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on cut cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon - ScienceDirect
• Outbreaks Associated with Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Honeydew in the United States, 1973–2011 | Foodborne Pathogens and Disease

306. Plant Based Deli Meat and Soft Cheeses for a Pregnant Woman

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of plant based deli meat and soft cheeses for a pregnant woman.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• ‎Brief Nut Milk Cheese Risk Analysis

• Viability of Shiga Toxin–producing Escherichia Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes Within Plant Versus Beef Burgers During Cold Storage and Following Pan Frying | Journal of Food Protection

• Listeria Found Inside Vegan Food Plant | Food Safety News

234. Salmon at 43 °F for 15 Hours

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of holding salmon at 43 °F for 15 hours.

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

• Merch — Risky or Not?
• When Is Hanukkah (Chanukah) Celebrated in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025? - Hanukkah Dates - Chanukah - Hanukkah
• Risk of Growth and Toxin Production by Clostridium botulinum Nonproteolytic Types B, E, and F in Salmon Fillets Stored Under Modified Atmospheres at Low and Abused Temperatures | Journal of Food Protection
• Conservative Prediction of Time to Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation for Use with Time-Temperature Indicators To Ensure the Safety of Foods | Journal of Food Protection

196. Raw Eggo Waffles

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating raw frozen Eggo waffles.

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

• (Ryan Dlugosz on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman I always assumed frozen waffles were ready to eat (see pic). Is it #riskyornot to eat them frozen? Fwiw I’m not a monster and I always lightly toast mine… but one of the kids prefers them frozen! https://t.co/o6PLdlVwYC" / Twitter
• Kellogg Co. recalls Eggo waffles after routine test shows Listeria | Food Safety News
• Food Safety Talk 12: Dueling Experts — Food Safety Talk
• Is Kellogg clueless about food safety? Public relations? | barfblog
• 'Stranger Things' caused an Eggo boom. Now sales are waffling
• Siracusa on Toasters — Liss is More
• Sunbeam 4 Slice Extra-wide Slot Toaster - Black Tssbtr4sbk : Target

163. Corn and Peas Microwaved for 90 Seconds

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating frozen corn and peas microwaved for only 90 seconds.

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

• Heat Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes in Vegetables: Evaluation of Blanching Processes | Journal of Food Protection
• Thermal Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella during Water and Steam Blanching of Vegetables | Journal of Food Protection
• Listeria monocytogenes Dose Response Revisited—Incorporating Adjustments for Variability in Strain Virulence and Host Susceptibility - Pouillot* - 2015 - Risk Analysis - Wiley Online Library
• An Assessment of Listeriosis Risk Associated with a Contaminated Production Lot of Frozen Vegetables Consumed under Alternative Consumer Handling Scenarios - PubMed

152. Traditional Québécois Acadian Salted Herbs

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating traditional Québécois Acadian salted herbs.

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

• Randal Oulton on Twitter: "Traditional Québécois / Acadian salted herbs
• Herbes salées vide-jardin | Mordu
• CooksInfo Food Encyclopaedia - CooksInfo
• How to make your own sauerkraut | UMN Extension
• ComBase
• (32) Greg Davies "Vegetables" - Would I Lie to You? - YouTube
• Classification of fermented foods: worldwide review of household fermentation techniques - ScienceDirect
• Effect of temperature, sodium chloride, and pH on growth of Listeria monocytogenes in cabbage juice. | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• New perspectives on the gastrointestinal mode of transmission in invasive Listeria monocytogenes infection - PubMed

132. Sending Unheated Hot Dogs in a Kids Lunch

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of sending unheated hot dogs in a kids lunch

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

• ComBase
• Reducing the Incidence of Listeria on Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products – Three Alternatives, University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Meat Process Validation
• Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Post-lethality Exposed Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products | Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Interagency Risk Assessment: Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens - Technical Report