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Risky or Not?

Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman

Risky or Not is a short podcast from Professor Ben Chapman from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Don Schaffner from Rutgers University. Dr. Don and Professor Chapman promise to do their best not to waffle, dither, dissemble or equivocate, and to give straight up answers about whether something is risky or not.

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  • 21 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 13 min
  • English

Episodes 21

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  • #973
    Friday · 15 min

    973. Out of Date $0.85 Jalapeno Snack From a Farmers Market

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks for eating an out of date discounted snack food purchased at a farmers market. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Pop'ums Jalapeño Jack | Snack Factory® Are stores allowed to sell expired food products? | Consumer Ed, brought to you by the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division Food Safety at Farmers' Markets | Agriculture and Markets Walmart Shares Slump on Weakest Sales Growth in Over Six Years - WSJ

  • #972
    Wednesday · 8 min

    972. Corn Chowder in the Fridge for a Week

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating corn chowder stored in the refrigerator for a week. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 The Best Corn Chowder Recipe ComBase

  • #971
    Monday · 16 min

    971. To Take a Bath at Ben's House Yesterday

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from taking a bath at Ben's house when the water is very dirty. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Hydrant Flushing Aqua North Carolina | Aqua

  • #970
    August 21 · 16 min

    970. Vaccines

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from vaccines, after Don concocts a bizarre red thread conspiracy theory because he really just wants to talk about his poor little sick doggo. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Addison's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic Addison's Disease in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospitals Addison's disease | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Lab Leak Groundhog Day: COVID … - Decoding the Gurus - Apple Podcasts

  • #969
    August 19 · 10 min

    969. McDonald's Ranch Found on the Side of the Road in Northern Minnesota in the Summer

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating McDonald's ranch dressing found on the side of the road in northern Minnesota in the summer. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Bike Tour Map Food Safety Talk 255: Crunchy Granola Hippie Town — Food Safety Talk 929. Car Ranch — Risky or Not? 87. 27 Lbs of Unrefrigerated Feta Cheese — Risky or Not? Models for the Inactivation of Foodborne Pathogens in Salad Dressing from Challenge Studies - ScienceDirect Outbreak of campylobacter enteritis in a residential school associated with bird pecked bottle tops - PubMed

  • #968
    August 17 · 16 min

    968. French Toast Left on Counter for Almost a Day

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating french toast left on counter for almost a day. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Bald Head Island NC Science-Backed French Toast Recipes: Crisp, Custardy & Never Soggy Survival and growth of Bacillus cereus in bread - PubMed Evaluation and Definition of Potentially Hazardous Foods Trader Joe's SLICED FRENCH BRIOCHE BREAD | Trader Joe's Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) Griddle Breads, Shelf Stable and Heat and Serve, Frozen (Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast, Belgian Waffles

  • #967
    August 14 · 8 min

    967. Eating Small Pieces of Chicken Left Behind in the Airfryer, Reheated Days Later

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating small pieces of chicken left behind in the airfryer, reheated days later. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Water activity - Wikipedia New Interventions and Validation for the Control of Pathogens in the Processing of Jerky

  • #966
    August 12 · 14 min

    966. Drinking a Mountain Dew That You Accidentally Dropped in a Port-a-Potty

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking a Mountain Dew that you accidentally dropped in a port-a-potty. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Man spent 8 hours in porta-potty tank retrieving Mountain Dew bottle, company says Potty Peeper Sentenced To 3 Years Behind Bars - CBS Colorado

  • #965
    August 10 · 15 min

    965. Cooked Frozen Hot Dogs in the Package Left in Sink Basin Over Night With Water

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cooked frozen hot dogs in the package left in sink basin over night with water. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Post-lethality Exposed Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products | Food Safety and Inspection Service Ballpark Franks Ad- They Plump When You Cook Them (1992) - YouTube We answer to a higher authority - Wikipedia Schneiders, brand since 1890 | Maple Leaf Foods Shopsy's Hot Dogs Vinyl Record, 1986 Summer Music LP - Etsy

  • #964
    August 7 · 24 min

    964. Eating Jalapeños Right Now

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating fresh jalapeños right now. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks | FDA Who coined "don't yuck my yum"? : r/etymology Giardiniera - Wikipedia Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Jalapeño (August 2026) | FDA When People Got Sick: Salmonella Outbreak, August 2026 | Salmonella Infection | CDC Inside Chipotle's Contamination Crisis Chipotle - Food Safety Guys: Episode 148 - Taco Bell Guys with Brian Gaar — Guys: With Bryan Quinby — Overcast Products Same As It Ever Was - YouTube

  • #962
    August 3 · 12 min

    962. Dane's Cadmium Cod Liver

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cod liver with a Proposition 65 warning about cadmium. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Foods and Beverages - Proposition 65 Warnings Website Cancer - YouTube Lead, cadmium and mercury in canned and unprocessed tuna: six-years monitoring survey, comparison with previous studies and recommended tolerable limits - ScienceDirect Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds - Proposition 65 Warnings Website Low Levels of Heavy Metals Found in Norwegian Cod | The Fish Site A baseline study of levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) from different parts of the Barents Sea - ScienceDirect Erling Haaland - Wikipedia Erling Haaland Donates Rare Viking Book to His Hometown Library The story behind Erling Haaland and his taxidermy raccoon: 'Lock the doors, let's make this special' - The Athletic

  • #961
    July 31 · 8 min

    961. Roux Raw Dough Cookies

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from roux raw dough cookies. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Eating raw cookie dough can be risky. Here's a safer way to enjoy it. - The Washington Post Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella enterica and Nonpathogenic Bacterial Surrogates in Wheat Flour by Baking in a Household Oven - ScienceDirect Water Activity and its Role in Food Preservation (March 2025) | UC Master Food Preserver

  • #959
    July 27 · 11 min

    959. Brushing Your Teeth With a Toothbrush That Was Not in a Toothbrush Protector

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from brushing your teeth with a toothbrush that was not in a toothbrush protector. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 524. Keeping Your Toothbrush Less Than 6 Feet From Your Toilet — Risky or Not? Amazon.com: Mspan Electric Toothbrush Head Cover: Sonic Toothbrush Cap Travel Protector Plastic Brush Pod Protection Clip Case Value Pack : Health & Household

  • #958
    July 24 · 23 min

    958. Eating Lettuce in Michigan Right Now

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating lettuce in Michigan right now Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Where People Got Sick: Cyclospora Outbreak, July 2026 | Cyclosporiasis | CDC Investigation of 5-State Outbreak of Cyclospora Illnesses: Iceberg Lettuce (July 2026) | FDA Cyclospora Outbreak 2026: FAQs for Consumers | IFPA Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Iceberg Lettuce in 5 States | Cyclosporiasis | CDC Flooding occurs on M-39 and I-94 in Detroit and I-75 in Southgate First Lawsuit in 2026 Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak Filed Against Taco Bell Operator in Ohio Federal Court Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks | FDA CDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak - The Washington Post Taylor Farms still linked to parasite outbreak despite false positive, FDA says - The Washington Post FDA says it's still investigating Taylor Farms in cyclosporiasis outbreak Taco Bell in Canada: Lettuce is safe to eat Farm linked to cyclospora stops sending lettuce to U.S. | CNN

  • #957
    July 22 · 11 min

    957. Reheating Refrigerated Cooked Frozen Vegetables

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from reheating refrigerated cooked frozen vegetables (when the package says not to). Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Study Highlights Importance of Cooking Non-Ready-to-Eat Frozen Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs Prior to | Food Safety Authority of Ireland National Microbiological Survey and Consumer Habits in relation to Frozen Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs (19NS6) An Assessment of Listeriosis Risk Associated with a Contaminated Production Lot of Frozen Vegetables Consumed Under Alternative Consumer Handling Scenarios - ScienceDirect Response to the Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Consumer Guidelines for the Safe Cooking of Poultry Products

  • #956
    July 20 · 16 min

    956. Drinking From a Bathroom Sink Water Fountain at the Louvre

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking from a bathroom sink water fountain at the Louvre. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 What is FFA | National FFA Organization Visitor amenities - Everything you need to enjoy the Louvre in the best conditions You can drink the water! - Review of Louvre Museum, Paris, France - Tripadvisor The Louvre (and a Short Rant About Water) — Bookpackers™ Water Fountain Hygiene | Parks and Recreation - YouTube Bathroom Sink Faucet with Water Fountain & Pull Out Sprayer – NMC Decor Drinking fountain installed into bathroom sink : r/mildlyinteresting

  • #955
    July 17 · 18 min

    955. Aspirin Canning

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of aspirin canning. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Carla Schwan | UGA FACS Home - IAFNS Vegetables and Fruits FAQs - National Center for Home Food Preservation Aspirin - Wikipedia Canning With Aspirin Instead of Sugar – Front page story – Finding Eliza Regional Variations in Home Canning Practices and the Risk of Foodborne Botulism in the Republic of Georgia, 2003 - ScienceDirect Use of Aspirin (Salicylic acid) as food preservative - good or bad? : r/foodscience Evaluation of the effect of acetylsalicylic acid on Clostridium botulinum growth and toxin production - PubMed Salicylic acids and pathogenic bacteria: new perspectives on an old compound

  • #954
    July 15 · 13 min

    954. Making Your Own Maple Syrup

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from making your own maple syrup. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Jason Hlywka | LinkedIn Home - IAFNS 8 Candy Temperature Stages (with Chart) - WebstaurantStore The Sticky (TV Series 2024) - IMDb Maple Sugaring Tips for Beginners and Backyard Maple Sugar Producers Maple Food Safety Planning Resource Hub - Cooperative Extension: Maple Syrup Production Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist - Wikipedia

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