The “Risky or Not” podcast is billed as being “a short podcast about everyday risks from germs,” and it’s a way to stay informed about the latest outbreaks of foodborne illness.
Don Schaffner, professor of food microbiology and chair of the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, said he and his co-host started the podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People really seem to like it,” he said. “It’s a short-form podcast. Right now, we put it out three times a week.”
Schaffner co-hosts the podcast with Ben Chapman, department head of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. The latest episode deals with the salmonella outbreak surrounding jalapeno peppers.
“What apparently happened is we had some jalapeno peppers that were contaminated with salmonella at some point along the growing process, or the distribution chain, and some people ate those jalapenos and they got sick,” Schaffner said.
Earlier this summer, the focus was on cyclospora, the parasite that was blamed for causing the spread of an illness that infamously featured what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described as watery and “explosive diarrhea.”
Schaffner said despite concerns over the safety of produce, people can still eat both iceberg lettuce and jalapeno peppers, because the overall food supply is safe.
“Of course if you have information about the product that shows that it is one of the products that has been linked to the outbreak, you shouldn’t consume it,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that all iceberg lettuce or all jalapenos are unsafe. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”
When asked about whether there seems to be more outbreaks of foodborne illness, Schaffner said that, “the most recent CDC numbers indicate that foodborne disease is not going up, but it’s not really going down either.”
With headlines about the most recent illnesses tied to food contamination, Schaffner said it doesn’t mean the food supply is getting less safe.
The “FDA is always investigating multiple outbreaks and as we learn the cause, it gets some attention,” he said.
Schaffner said if people are looking for guidance on food safety, a good source is the federal government’s website Foodsafety.gov.
The site includes information on outbreaks, recalls and how to store and prepare food safely at home.
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