Replay: Paper, Spreadsheets, and the Need to Raise the Bar with David Hatch of Neogen | Episode 134

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by David Hatch from Neogen, one of the world’s largest suppliers of food safety testing platforms.

Get ready to learn all about food safety testing, such as what type of technology is available when it comes to testing (get results within seconds), and how the tests work in practice to keep food safe.

Unfortunately, you’ll also learn about the sad truth about most of the food safety industry being almost 2 decades behind when it comes to actually being able to do anything with the important data that it collects.

Tune in to hear the reasons why and how David and Neogen are working to change the tide.

In this episode:

💩 [03:46] Meet David and Neogen 

💩 [06:49] The type of testing that most companies use and how it works

💩 [09:38] The importance of testing in food safety

💩 [12:38] The problem of managing testing information on spreadsheets and paper

💩 [16:33] David’s mission at Neogen to bring food safety to the present

💩 [18:28] Using spreadsheets doesn’t actually mean the process is digitized 

💩 [19:51] What it takes for food safety to become preventative instead of reactive 

💩 [21:08] What’s great about the Food Safety Consortium

💩 [28:03] The other side of Neogen: making food safe upstream

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

Resources from this episode

Register for the Food Safety Consortium 2025, from October 19-21, here. Use the discount code POOP for $200 OFF. See you there!

Neogen website neogen.com.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“The problem is that the corporate management at food companies hasn’t found a way to justify the digital transformation that needs to take place. And it’s not that they don’t want to, it’s that the food industry operates at the lowest margins of any industry in the world. On average, it’s only a 2.8% margin, which is the lowest in all industries in the world.” – David Hatch

This episode is sponsored by DeVere Chemical 

Have you ever tried to sanitize without actually cleaning first? Rookie mistake.

DeVere Chemical gets it, and they’ve got your back. These aren’t your typical “chemical guys.” They’re smart, fun, and dead serious about food safety.

Their products make it simple:

1. Remove the visible gunk.
2. Use the right cleaner for the job (please don’t use floor cleaner on food contact surfaces—gross!).
3. Give it the proper contact time.
4. Hit those hard-to-reach spots (even the ones no one wants to clean).
5. And don’t forget: if it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.

🧼 Ready to say WOW? Get 15% off DeVere’s best-selling WOW™ All Purpose Cleaner—tough on grime, gentle on surfaces. Use code POOP at checkout!

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📩Contact DeVere to claim your discount.

Let’s not forget… Don’t eat poop! 💩

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the “Don’t Eat Poop!” show on LinkedIn! 

Check out Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon!