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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Kim Carlton, the Retail Food Program Manager at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, straight from the 2024 FDA Retail Food Seminar & IEHA Annual Education Conference.

As you probably know by now, with federalism in the US, the federal government, the states, the counties, and the municipalities all have their own way of doing things when it comes to food safety. Today, Kim explains how the state of Minnesota keeps their citizens safe from foodborne illnesses.

She also shares some of her best and most unbelievable stories from the time she was an environmental health inspector.

In this episode:

💩 [01:45] How the Retail Food Safety Program in Minnesota works

💩 [06:34] How Minnesota manages the data from health inspections

💩 [07:18] Kim’s role in the National Environmental Health Association

💩 [08:49] Kim’s perception of environmental health throughout her career

💩 [11:04] Challenges Kim faced as an inspector

💩 [12:30] The pizza incident

💩 [13:27] We've come a long way as women in food safety, but not far enough

💩 [15:06] The celebrity chef’s very public tantrum

💩 [17:48] The cockroach mayhem

💩 [21:08] Is there anything you would do differently?

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

Resources from this episode

Catch up with the conversation Matt and Francine had with Doug Farquhar in Episode 87 | The Impacts of American Federalism on US Food Safety with Doug Farquhar.

Discover more unbelievable stories like these in Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? where she shares her own experiences out in the field as a health inspector.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“Depending on where you are in the state of Minnesota and what type of retail food you sell, it could be one of 30 different agencies that regulate you.” – Kim Carlton

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!

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