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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.

00:03:29 The Power of a Food Safety Story

00:06:50 The Elevator Encounter: How Rick Met Dana and Heard Kayla's Story

00:14:30 Food Safety: From a Job to a Career, to a Passion

00:17:02 Business Outcomes From Investing in Food Safety

00:20:59 Allergen Panel featuring Marriott, Universal, Aramark, and Red Lobster

00:22:19 Risk-based Pest Control and the Search For a Produce "Kill Step"

00:23:46 Alpha-gal: The Tick Bite That Can Mean No More Red Meat

00:29:30 AI at the Food Safety Consortium

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:

“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

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