"EATING RIGHT" WITH SAFEWAY VEGGIE PARTY PLATTERS

(I was wondering why no one was reading this post, until I realized today that I had left it in draft, without posting. Here it is..though a bit late.)

That big U.S. supermarket chain, Safeway, has realized that marketing healthy food can translate into profits. It hasn't been doing badly compared to its grocery peers, but let's face it, not nearly as well as Whole Foods Market (in fact, last year it only had about half of WFM's earnings-per-share - EPS -growth rate). So here's a chance to catch up: market to the healthy food image, just as Whole Foods Market is doing.

The result: we have the "Eating Right" Safeway food line: it includes entrees, juices, fresh bagged salads - and party trays. Unfortunately, the name did not protect it. There's now a recall of Safeway Eating Right Veggie Party Platters because Mann's Packing - the food company that made them for Safeway - used those recalled (potentially Salmonella-contaminated) grape tomatoes from Six L Packing Company.

The recall affects Eating Right Veggie Party Platter, UPC Code 79893-10708, sold from 04-29-2011 to 05-07-2011 with “Best if Used By” dates ranging from 05-09-2011 to 05-16 2011.

It is packaged in a clear, plastic, clamshell container.These party trays were sold at all Safeway and Safeway-owned stores, including Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save stores.

Poor Safeway. It really has been hard hit by these teeny cute grape tomatoes - salads, kabobs, and party trays.

So how about "eating right" with a little Salmonella ? Raw is risky - much as we love it.

To your good health!

TSF

"EATING RIGHT" WITH SAFEWAY VEGGIE PARTY PLATTERS

That big U.S. supermarket chain, Safeway, has realized that marketing healthy food can translate into profits. It hasn't been doing badly compared to its grocery peers, but let's face it, not nearly as well as Whole Foods Market (in fact, last year it only had about half of WFM's earnings-per-share - EPS -growth rate). So here's a chance to catch up: market the idea of healthy eating, just as Whole Foods Market is doing.

The result: we have the "Eating Right" Safeway food line: it includes entrees, juices, fresh bagged salads - and party trays. Unfortunately, the name did not protect it. There's now a recall of Safeway Eating Right Veggie Party Platters because Mann's Packing - the food company that made them for Safeway - used those recalled (potentially Salmonella-contaminated) grape tomatoes from Six L Packing Company.

The recall affects Eating Right Veggie Party Platter, UPC Code 79893-10708, sold from 04-29-2011 to 05-07-2011 with “Best if Used By” dates ranging from 05-09-2011 to 05-16 2011.

It is packaged in a clear, plastic, clamshell container.These party trays were sold at all Safeway and Safeway-owned stores, including Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save stores.

Poor Safeway. It really has been hard hit by these teeny cute grape tomatoes - salads, kabobs, and party trays. But in spite of everything, and the down market, it's share price was up today. Beats me. Maybe there is some kind of reverse psychology at work here.

So how about "eating right" with a little Salmonella ? Raw is risky - much as we love it.

To your good health!
TSF

THE GRAPE TOMATO RECALL EXPANDS

As I predicted (See post on "A Recall of Grape Tomatoes"), the recall of grape tomatoes in the U.S. has expanded. Today information about two more recalls of grape tomatoes landed in my mail box. Yes, Six L Packing Company, the Florida-based distributor, has been selling them to other clients in addition to Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. of Tracy, California, and Mastronardi Produce of Ontario, Canada. After all, it packs over 15 million tomatoes a year. That's big business.

Here are two more. Although they don't have the large geographic coverage of the previous ones, they show that in this kind of recall, new risky items can keep popping up, and you can't predict where.

* Del Monte Fresh Produce is recalling a limited number of Vegetable Trays and Veg. Trio sold in Roche Bros. Supermarkets in the state of Massachusetts under the brand ROCHE BROS. because they may also have used Salmonella-contaminated tomatoes.

* Northeast Produce Inc. of Plainville, CT has also bought and used some of these potentially contaminated grape tomatoes from Six L. It is now recalling a number of clam-shell packaged and loose tomatoes. Presumably, these were sold locally, but I'm checking further. You never know. And of course, we run up against the usual confusion of different brand names - "Cutie Brand," "Fancy Sweet," and "Cherry Berries." (I am wondering whether I might try a new career in branding...). If you want the specifics, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm254548.htm.

Here's my advice for what it's worth. In any case of an outbreak at the level of a large food producer or distributor, I immediately assume that it is going to expand. What I therefore do, is to stop eating that particular kind of food (e.g. grape tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, or whatever) for a week or two, to give the government testing laboratories time to catch up and the company to come clean about all its clients. You may want to do the same. There are plenty of other kinds of good tomatoes.

To your good health!
TSF