Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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DALL·E image text: A partially filled plastic jug of organic lemonade sits open in the back of a refrigerator. The yellow drink looks old but free of surface mold. Its red cap rests nearby, clean and mold-free. The label still shows a lemon with a moldy patch, suggesting past spoilage concerns.

838. Opened Refrigerated Organic Lemonade After 4 Weeks

October 17, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming opened organic lemonade refrigerated for 4 weeks.

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

October 17, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Shelf-life, Lemonade, Mold, Mycotoxin

Justin’s actual frosting.

829. Betty Crocker Frosting Stored Out of Refrigeration

September 26, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frosting that says "Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting up to 30 days" at room temperature after opening.

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

  • Justin Ekins on X: "@benjaminchapman @bugcounter would it be risky or not to store this Betty Crocker vanilla frosting out of the refrigerator for, say, 6 months after opening and then use it to frost a cake? https://t.co/k7NDNlSksq" / X
  • Let Them Eat Cake | Chemical Engineering Education
September 26, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Frosting, Water activity, Shelf-life

DALL·E image text: Four cheerful club members gather around a table piled with dusty, vintage MRE packages. A wooden sign above them reads “Vintage MRE Club.” The group smiles with excitement, examining the old rations in a cozy, wood-paneled room that captures the nostalgic and quirky spirit of their unusual hobby.

828. Vintage US Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs)

September 24, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming "vintage" (i.e., old) MREs from around the world, but focusing in those from the US.

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

  • Meal, Ready-to-Eat - Wikipedia
  • Ensuring the Safety and Quality of RTE Meals for U.S. Service Members | Food Safety
  • Jeremy Zenlea | LinkedIn
  • Army researchers dug into the effects of MREs on gut health, here's what they discovered | Article | The United States Army
  • Shelf-Stable Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Mathematical Models for the Effects of pH, Temperature, and Sodium Chloride on the Growth of Bacillus stearothermophilus in Salty Carrots - PubMed
  • Mathematical Models for the Effects of pH, Temperature, and Sodium Chloride on the Growth of Bacillus stearothermophilus in Salty Carrots
September 24, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Meals Ready-to-Eat, MREs, Shelf-life

Image from cartoon.

779. Eating Canned Beans From WWII in 2006

June 02, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating canned beans from WWII in 2006 as shown on The Simpsons.

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

  • Beastie Boys – Johnny Ryall Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Gregory Koch: "Eating canned beans from World War II in 2006, when this episode first aired.... #RiskyOrNot @benchapmanncsu.bsky.social @bugcounter.bsky.social" — Bluesky
  • Eating 80 year old food Rations! sealed since WW2! What's inside? - YouTube
  • We Ate 100-Year-Old Food from Every War! - YouTube
  • 643. Drinking an Unknown Liquid Found in a Bottle at Sea — Risky or Not?
  • The Canning Process; Old Preservation Technique Goes Modern" by Blumenthal, Dale - FDA Consumer, Vol. 24, Issue 7, September 1990 | Online Research Library: Questia Reader
  • Consumer Brands Association - Wikipedia
  • Dennis Heldman Obituary - Columbus, OH


June 02, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Canned food, Beans, Shelf-life

Screen capture from cartoon.

778. Out of Date Simpson's Ham

May 30, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating out of date ham as depicted on the Simpsons.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Arc - Robot or Not? #310 - The Incomparable
  • Gregory Koch: "This episode aired on February 10, 1994, so assuming that's the date this is set .... Eating processed ham that expired five years ago - #RiskyOrNot? @benchapmanncsu.bsky.social @bugcounter.bsky.social" — Bluesky
  • Amazon.com: North Carolina Mountain Cured Country Ham Trimmings 5-4 Oz. Packs : Grocery & Gourmet Food
  • Hams and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service


May 30, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Ham, Shelf-life

DALL·E - A clear plastic bag filled with baby carrots. There is a small amount of liquid at the bottom of the bag, and a faint, whimsical hint of a few happy microorganisms.

625. Eating Expired Baby Carrots

June 07, 2024 by Don Schaffner

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
June 07, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Carrots, Listeria, Shelf-life

358. Vintage Jello

September 23, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating vintage Jello that is decades old.

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

  • Jell-O - Wikipedia
  • What is Jell-O? How does it turn from a liquid to a solid when it cools? - Scientific American
  • Vintage Jello And - Etsy
  • 268. Old Outbreak Peanut Butter — Risky or Not?
September 23, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Jell-O, Gelatine, Shelf-life, Salmonella, Shelf life

310. Really Old Green Coffee Beans

June 03, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking coffee made from really old coffee beans.

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

  • Steve Lister on Twitter: "1930's green coffee beans roasted today? Is @jimseven going to end up in the hospital? @bugcounter @benjaminchapman #riskyornot https://t.co/DOAn7SqQLm" / Twitter
  • Drinking Harrods Coffee From the 1930s - YouTube
  • Joseph Lister - Wikipedia
  • 130. Drinking Civit Poop Coffee — Risky or Not?
  • Mycotoxins in Coffee | Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL | Oxford Academic
  • Sci-Hub | Mycotoxins in Coffee
June 03, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Coffee, Shelf-life, Mycotoxin, Mold

256. Sniffing Milk Instead Using Expiration Dates

January 28, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of sniffing milk instead using expiration dates.

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

  • Morrisons scraps use by dates on milk in favour of sniff test | News | The Grocer
  • Short communication: Bacterial ecology of high-temperature, short-time pasteurized milk processed in the United States - ScienceDirect
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a cause of infectious diarrhoea - PubMed
  • Identification and Pathogenic Potential of Clinical Bacillus and Paenibacillus Isolates - PubMed
January 28, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Milk, Shelf-life, Spoilage, Smell
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
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
old soup small.png

80. Old canned soup

December 14, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating very old canned soup.

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

  • (3) John Wyatt on Twitter: "@TorontoStar @parkdalefoodbnk @bugcounter @benjaminchapman - Risky or not?" / Twitter
  • ‘I’m just hungry.’ Toronto man vows to eat 14-year-old can of soup in hopes of raising $10,000 for local food bank | The Star
  • Donate Now - Parkdale Community Food Bank
  • Can infant formula and baby food be used after the date expires?
  • Food Product Dating
  • Cuff The Duke - Confessions From A Parkdale Basement (Official Audio) - YouTube
  • Parkdale Community Food Bank on Instagram: “Hey guys, @liborio_verne here. I am eternally grateful for your support and enthusiasm out of what was essentially a joke. Together, we…”
  • Food Safety Talk 196: Superintendent of Judges
  • Parkdale, Toronto - Wikipedia
December 14, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Shelf-life, Canned food
frozen-fish-stock-finance.png

66. Eating Old Frozen Fish

November 11, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating old frozen fish.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • FoodKeeper App | FoodSafety.gov
  • Quality in Frozen Food - Marilyn C. Erickson, Yen-Con Hung - Google Books
  • How Does the Freezer Burn Our Food? - Schmidt - 2009 - Journal of Food Science Education - Wiley Online Library
November 11, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Frozen Food, Shelf-life, Fish
Screen Shot 2020-07-19 at 5.55.22 PM.png

21: Five Year Old Candy Canes

July 29, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating five year old candy canes.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • (1) Julie Libarkin on Twitter: “I like candy canes as decorations this time of year. I save them - some are probably 5 years old. All in nice plastic. Very important question from someone not raised w candy canes: Can I still eat them? #candy” / Twitter

  • Water activity in candy and confectionery | METER

  • Moisture and shelf life in sugar confections. - PubMed - NCBI

July 29, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Candy, Shelf-life
large_cb97807f-f41e-46bb-83f8-2da7cf0083e9.png

3: Out of Date Ravioli

February 04, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben discus the risky posed by consumption of Mushroom Ravioli that is several weeks past it’s use by date.

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

  • Mushroom & Creamy Cheese Ravioli - Giovanni Rana
  • Psychrotrophic strains of Bacillus cereus producing enterotoxin - van Netten - 1990 - Journal of Applied Bacteriology - Wiley Online Library
February 04, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Ravioli, Shelf-life, Refrigerator

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