Environmental Health Food Inspector: Tales From Another One Who Watches the Kitchen with Monica Pancare | Episode 138

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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are joined by Monica Pancare, CP-FS. a veteran environmental health food inspector, straight from the Food Safety Consortium 2025.

She brings a unique perspective, having been around food safety from its inception and having been involved on both sides of the industry, first in operations and now as an inspector.

Joined by Francine, they commiserate about how things were in the late 1970s and 1980s, what has changed, and the trials and tribulations of being the one who watches the kitchen.

In this episode:

💩 [01:15] Meet Monica Pancare, a veteran of the food safety industry

💩 [02:31] Gloves, questionable 1970s practices, and the origin of ServSafe

💩 [05:27] What we didn't know in the 1980s and Marriott Hotels' food safety

💩 [08:51] Monica's pivot to an environmental health food inspector role

💩 [10:14] The benefits for an inspector of starting out in operations

💩 [12:39] Defining which establishments are high risk or low risk

💩 [15:46] The craziest violation Monica's ever seen

💩 [18:09] Francine and Monica's experiences with pests, upsets, and threats

💩 [21:24] What happens when Monica finds big problems in an establishment

💩 [24:42] If the bathrooms are clean, is the rest of the establishment clean?

💩 [25:54] The difference between a training issue and a procedural one

💩 [28:59] What to look for in a restaurant as a consumer

💩 [31:23] Why Monica chose to attend the Food Safety Consortium

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

Resources from this episode

For a whole retelling of Francine's craziest stories from her time as a health inspector, check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“ Knowledge is power. Knowledge is key. I believe that you always need to keep your finger on the pulse and really have a good, strong knowledge of what's out there in the industry as it changes.” – Monica Pancare

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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