Is our food safe? Would you know if it is? Follow UCLA undergrads as they explore a dozen foodborne outbreaks and their consequences.
In Farm to Fatal, twelve different outbreaks illuminate the biology of foodborne illness, the complexity of modern food safety regulation, and the details of how we make food safe... or fail to. In Winter 2025, UCLA undergrads in the Human Biology and Society major set out to explore the intricacies of food safety in the US. Each group explored an outbreak over the last 30 years, diving into the details of the bacteriology, the illness and the treatments on the one hand, and the insanely complex system of governance, audit, oversight, lawsuits and regulations. Dive into every corner of the food safety world, from e. Coli to Hepatitis A, from South Africa to Arizona, from the challenge of regulating raw milk to the difficulties of cleaning tanker trucks, from the "sewer state" to problem of "organized non-knowledge". Across the episodes students find a new respect for the challenge of governing food, the problems with the existing system, and also the need to defend it.
Publisher
UCLA Undergraduates in the Human Biology and Society Major, 2025
A short introduction to the podcast series, by Christopher Kelty of the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA. Music in this intro by Ween. These podcast episodes were created by members of the 2025 Winter Capstone course in the Human Biology and Society major at UCLA's Institute for Society and Genetics (https://socgen.ucla.edu/). The faculty sponsor is Christopher Kelty. For questions or concerns email ckelty@ucla.edu.
18 Mar 2025
Salsification! The 2003 Hepatitis A Outbreak
A beloved family-friendly restaurant turns out to be not-so-friendly after all — it was supposed to be a dinner, not a funeral. 4 Deaths. over 650 incidents of illness. Official cause still unknown. In the fall of 2003, the United States saw the worst Hepatitis A outbreak it had ever seen, spreading across 7 states. Where did it all originate? From a quaint Mexican restaurant just 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chi-Chi’s was founded in Minnesota during the 1970...
18 Mar 2025
E.Coli: The Mystery Romaines
Remember when you had really nasty food poisoning at the same time grocery stores were issuing recalls and restaurants were taking items off their menus? Ever wonder why outbreaks of Salmonella. E. coli. or Listeria make headlines at least once a year? Well, let’s uncover the secret together in E. coli: The Mystery Romaines. Foodborne illnesses break out across the world all the time. Does it have to do with unsafe growing? Transportation problems? Unsanitary grocery store habits? What if we ...
18 Mar 2025
Ready-To-Eat: Justice beyond the numbers in the 2017 Listeria outbreak
The 2017-2018 listeriosis outbreak in South Africa was the largest and deadliest listeria outbreak on record with over 1,000 reported cases of listeriosis and over 200 deaths. The Department of Health traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated sausage known as Polony, which had been produced by a local facility. The outbreak affected hundreds of individuals and families and highlighted the severe shortcomings of South Africa's fractured food safety system. Our podcast delves deeply i...
18 Mar 2025
The Sleepover Symposium: the 2013 STEC outbreak
In this sleepover-style podcast, two girls explore the 2011 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreak in Germany and France. They dive into the mystery of the contamination’s source. Was it Egyptian seeds, German sprouting, or irrigation water? They also explore the biology behind this unique strain and its link to HUS. In this podcast series, two girls discuss complex biological and medical topics that affect society in a fun, “girly” sleepover setting. This episode focuses on the 2011 Shiga to...
18 Mar 2025
The Nut Job: the 2008-9 Salmonella outbreak
In this podcast, we explore the 2008-2009 salmonella outbreak, which killed nine people and sickened over 700. We explore corporate negligence, weak government oversight, and scientific limitations that contributed to the tragedy, ultimately leading to legislative and federal reforms…yet who is the true culprit of them all? The 2008-2009 salmonella outbreak linked to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) killed nine people, including veteran Clifford Tousignant, and infected over 700 others. P...
18 Mar 2025
Spilling the Milk: The 2014 Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak
A hidden danger in a simple glass—what really happened in the 2014 Utah raw milk Campylobacter outbreak? Beneath the surface lies a deeper battle over food safety, government control, and mistrust. Why do some risk it for raw milk? And what does it reveal about the Debate over what we eat? In this episode, “Spilling the Milk, ” Anne Vu and Kayla Nguyen dive deep into the 2014 Utah Campylobacter outbreak, a public health crisis linked to raw milk. What began as a local food-borne illness swift...
18 Mar 2025
Hitchin' a Ride: the 1994 Schwan's Salmonella Outbreak
Life is seemingly perfect in the quiet town of Marshall Minnesota, with its gentle rolling hills and kind, hard-working people. Unassuming. Certainly not the place for national news ... Yet it serves as the setting for one of the biggest salmonella outbreaks in the US Not from chicken or maybe even eggs, rather, America's favorite dessert: Ice Cream. Our episode follows the story of Schwan's Ice Cream, which was known for its excellence in quality and trust amongst its customers. ...
18 Mar 2025
Unpecked Regulations: the 2013 Foster Farms Salmonella Outbreak
What happens when a trusted food company prioritizes profits over public safety? In this episode, we uncover the devastating impact of the 2013 Foster Farms Salmonella outbreak. Through firsthand accounts, expert analysis, and a deep dive into the failures of the food industry, we reveal how one outbreak exposed major cracks in our food system. In 2013, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms poultry sickened 634 people across 29 states. But this wasn ’t just an isolated incident—it was ...
18 Mar 2025
Failed State, Contaminated Plate: the 2024 Listeria Outbreak
How did a beloved deli meat brand become the center of a deadly nationwide food safety crisis? The 2024 Boar’s Head listeria outbreak exposed alarming flaws in the U.S. food safety system. In this episode, we uncover how a tangled web of decentralized regulation failed to prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers. In this episode, we explore regulatory failures behind the deadly Boar’s Head listeria outbreak. With insights from Diana Winters, deputy director of the Resnick C...
18 Mar 2025
Cargill's Responsibility: the 2011 Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak
In 2011, across 26 states, 136 people were sickened, 37 were hospitalized and one person died. The culprit: Salmonella Heidelberg, contracted through the consumption of contaminated ground turkey from Cargill Meat Solutions based in Springdale, Arkansas. One meal. That’s all it took for 10-month-old Ruby Jane Lee to go from a happy, exploring baby to a hospital bed, fighting for her life. In 2011, a massive Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to Cargill’s ground turkey sickened 136 people, ...
18 Mar 2025
The Hidden Cost of Convenience: The 2013 Trader Joe’s Salad Outbreak
How could a quick trip after work to Trader Joe’s turn into a public health crisis? In this episode we investigate the 2013 E. coli outbreak linked to Glass Onion Catering’s prepackaged salads. How did the intersection of contaminated water, industrial farming, and regulatory loopholes create such a deadly outbreak? More importantly—who was supposed to protect us, who failed us, and how could it have been prevented? In 2013 a simple salad purchase turned into a public health disas...
18 Mar 2025
Sundae Scaries: The 2015 Listeria outbreak in Ice Cream
Imagine this: you order a milkshake during your stay in the hospital to help make light of the situation at hand, just to find out that the ice cream used in the milkshake actually made you sick: Listeria. A place to heal has now placed you in further danger, how could this have happened? This podcast explores Blue Bell Creameries first ever recall of products due to adulterated products contaminated with Listeria. Listeria is known as one of the deadliest foodborne pathogens but ...
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