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Food Safety Consortium 2026: Allergens, Traceability & a Story That Silenced a Room with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 176
A crowded elevator in St. Louis. A stranger’s badge. A conversation that led food safety consortium founder Rick Biros to a mother named Dana and to Kayla, her daughter, who died of E. coli O111 in 2007.
In this third installment of the 2026 Food Safety Consortium preview series on Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt, Francine, and Rick sit with a story that silenced a room of industry veterans, then turn to what’s ahead at this year’s conference.
This episode blends raw human stakes with a practical look at what’s coming to Food Safety Consortium, from AI adoption and allergen transparency to the traceability deadline barreling toward the whole industry.
Spoiler alert: the best food safety conferences aren’t built on data alone — they’re built on stories that make the stakes impossible to ignore.
In this episode:
💩 [03:29] The Power of a Food Safety Story
💩 [06:50] The Elevator Encounter: How Rick Met Dana and Heard Kayla’s Story
💩 [14:30] Food Safety: From a Job to a Career, to a Passion
💩 [17:02] Business Outcomes From Investing in Food Safety
💩 [20:59] Allergen Panel featuring Marriott, Universal, Aramark, and Red Lobster
💩 [22:19] Risk-based Pest Control and the Search For a Produce “Kill Step”
💩 [23:46] Alpha-gal: The Tick Bite That Can Mean No More Red Meat
💩 [29:30] AI at the Food Safety Consortium
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Connect with Rick
Take a look at Kayla’s story on Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Fate
Use code POOP for 25% off the 2026 Food Safety Consortium
Check out the rest of the series with Rick:
- Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 170
- Food Safety as an Investment: Inside the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros | Episode 173
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience. I read the story, and I just said, ‘Wow, folks, that’s why you do what you do.’” – Rick Biros
“These situations are 100% preventable. Somewhere along the way, somebody did something wrong. We are never gonna stop all of them. We’re not gonna eradicate all of the foodborne illnesses. But we could certainly reduce them significantly.” – Francine L Shaw
We hope you enjoy this episode of 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!
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