🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine welcome industry veteran Rick Biros to talk about 15 years of Food Safety Tech and the Food Safety Consortium. We also get the chance to hear about Rick's new upcoming conference, Food Safety Hazards.

From cockroach-laced product horror stories (yes, really) to a deep dive into 15 years of industry evolution in food safety regulations, we unpack one of the most uncomfortable truths in food safety compliance: just because you’re “within compliance” doesn’t mean your food is safe. It’s clear that the industry still has a long way to go in truly protecting consumers.

In this episode:

00:00:00 15 Years of Food Safety Tech

00:10:46 FSMA Success Debate

00:15:35 Food Safety Culture Isn’t New

00:22:37 Benchmarking and Metrics

00:25:59 New Food Safety Hazards Conference

00:35:54 The Broken U.S. Food Safety System

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

Resources from this episode

Connect with Rick here.

Use the discount code poop for a 25% discount at the Food Safety Hazards Conference 2026 (April 20-22) and the Food Safety Consortium (October 23-26).

Take a look at the white paper we discussed in this episode: Integrating the Fragmented United States Federal Food Safety System into a Food Protection System

Read the article Rick mentioned at the end of this episode: Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7 in Raw Cheddar Cheese. Was it from RAW FARM or Not??

Listen to our previous conversations with Rick:

Behind the Scenes at the Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros: Conference Culture, Compliance & Community | Episode 123

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“Where this industry needs to go is to turn food safety and quality into a financial benefit to food and beverage companies.” – Rick Biros

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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