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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Bill Marler, the nation's leading foodborne illness attorney, to discuss some of the major outbreaks of 2025 (so far), those who aren't doing what they're supposed to, and how we can push for changes towards food safety.
Buckle up because not only are there many, but they're very frustrating ones.
We'll revisit the Boar's Head Outbreak as new violations have been found in other plants, and the company is reopening the plant from the outbreak. We'll tackle the Darwin Dog Food case, which has been linked to a four-year-old child who became infected with E. coli O157:H7 and developed HUS, as well as the Listeria Shake Outbreak in long-term care facilities, with 14 dead.
In this episode:
💩 [01:11] Sexy tractors and feeling politically out of place
💩 [04:07] Do the Boar's Head executives even care?
💩 [08:06] What Boar's Head is doing and what they should've done instead
💩 [16:15] The frustrating E. coli-contaminated Darwin Dog Food case
💩 [18:53] FDA's failure to enforce a product recall from Darwin
💩 [24:14] How Bill is finally getting justice for the Shake Outbreak victims
💩 [29:42] How companies can save lives by testing their products
💩 [33:29] When authorities redact documents and withhold critical information
💩 [37:58] The Romaine Lettuce outbreak that remains a "mystery"
💩 [42:49] How Bill Marler is unfortunately having to do the FDA and CDC's jobs
💩 [50:04] The incredible success of the fight against E. coli in hamburgers
💩 [55:04] Addressing the Poisoned documentary skeptics
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Read the Marler Blog post with the 35 pages of non-conformances on Boar's Head's plants.
Read about the frustrating E. coli-contaminated Darwin Dog Food case.
Read about the Listeria Shake Outbreak in long-term care facilities.
Here's the video with the keynote speaker saying we should "Put Bill Marler out of business".
Watch Bill Marler and Darin Detwiler’s Emmy award-winning documentary, Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food.
Read about the multi-state E. coli outbreak where the FDA and CDC chose to Romaine Silent.
Catch up with past Bill Marler episodes:
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“ I don't know why FDA won't name the romaine lettuce guys, even though they did when the same guys were growing onions. I don't have a good answer to that question other than I just think it sadly, undercuts the authority of public health, that they seem to be an honest broker in the process. It breaks my heart.” – Bill Marler
We hope you enjoy this episode!
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