Audio versions of The Rotten Apple Newsletter have only been available to paid subscribers up to now. Now they’re available to everyone!Each episode is 15 to 20 minutes, and nothing fancy…. Just me, Karen, reading out this week’s email, dodgy Aussie accent and all. Get links to extra information, the food safety news roundup and sources for everything from the online version of each issue. And don’t forget to ‘like’, ‘follow’ and tell your friends about this podcast. Episodes drop every Monday. See you then! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therottenapple.substack.com/subscribe

Every newsletter publishes a gift guide at this time of year. Here’s my collection of food safety and food fraud-related gifts, from the sublime to the ridiculous.Ultimate food fraud gift: turmeric coconut drink mixWant to expose your friends and loved ones to almost-guaranteed food fraud? Make them this wholesome ‘Golden Milk Mix’ as a gift. It has seven ingredients, six of which are high risk for food fraud, hooray!Ultimate food scientist gift: hangover-free wineCelebrate the wonders of food science, and order your hangover-free wine now (available in the hopefully-not-too-distant-future). Scientists have explored the possibility that the naturally occurring wine pigment quercetin contributes to morning-after headaches by reducing alcohol metabolism and allowing the build-up of acetaldehyde. If they’re right, wine hangovers could be a thing of the past (yay).Ultimate foreign object gift: frog bread enamel pin/badgeCelebrate the joys of physical contamination in bakery items with a cute frog bread enamel pin (‘badge’) for your loved one. You could even accompany it with a loaf of bread shaped like a frog, because frog-shaped bread is a thing.Ultimate labelling error giftsLabelling errors are the leading cause of food recalls in most countries, and pose serious risks to consumers. Don’t miss out on the action: contribute to the problem by giving your friends and family mislabelled food items, including unauthorised prescription wine, pun-heavy ketchup and misleading sweets.Ultimate gifts for the person who has it allStill don’t know what to buy that special person in your life? Why not give them a jar of honey from Rare Harvest. With “mocha-infused” flavours, it costs just £1,300 and is sure to delight.Hint: as a high UMF Manuka honey this gift is also ultra-vulnerable to fraudulent adulteration and misrepresentation (bonus).Or just celebrate the silliness of the season with a chocolate prawn or a tree decoration made from a real chicken nugget.Thanks for reading The Rotten Apple’s ultimate food fraud and food safety gift guide. Enjoy this season’s shopping chores and remember, contamination and adulteration are the gifts that just keep giving. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therottenapple.substack.com/subscribe