FOUR DOLE BAGGED SALAD RECALLS IN 6 MONTHS

This has not been a good six months for Dole Food Co: four bagged salad recalls! It hasn't been good for people who eat bagged salads either. That is, if they want to stay healthy.

In April, 2012, Dole issued a recall on 756 cases of bagged salad, because of possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria. The recall included bagged Seven Lettuces salads distributed in 15 states.

Soon after, in July, it had a bagged romaine lettuce recall. Some 2,600 cases of bagged Hearts of Romaine that had been distributed to several states had to be recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.

And then in August, Dole Italian Blend bagged salads had to be being recalled because testing turned up Listeria bacteria again. Some 1,039 cases of bagged salad had to be recalled.

I may have missed some. But, look, that's enough bacterial contamination in six months even for a big company with huge production. So much for safety! And by the way, there have been other Dole product recalls as well recently, such as for mangoes, because of Salmonella.

Now there is a fourth Dole bagged salad recall: it is recalling some of its bagged salads because of Listeria being found. This time it's Dole American Blend salad in 12 oz. bags, coded A275208A or B, with Use-by date of October 17 and UPC 7143000933.

Maybe Dole should take a look at its plants and processes. And maybe - as my book, The Safe Food Handbook argues, bagged fresh produce is not all that safe after all. Even triple washing doesn't always work. Somtimes it may even add contaminants. But how many of us make salads totally from scratch any more? Perhaps it is time we went back to "vintage salads." (You may also want to glance at my Feb. 2011 post on: "What's Really in Bagged Salads.")

To your good health,
TSF

WHAT DO TURTLES, PEANUT BUTTER AND MANGOES HAVE IN COMMON? (ANSWER - SALMONELLA)

Today's trivia question: what do small turles, mangoes, cantaloupes, peanut butter, tuna, ground beef, dry dog food, live chickens, hedgehogs and raw scraped ground tuna have in common?

The answer- they have all been linked to outbreaks caused by different Salmonella bacteria just in the last 3 months in the United States. No, we can't only blame our food supply. It can also be our pets. And in fact, touching your pet turtle or hedgehog or chicken may prove to be just as dangerous as eating that bad cantaloupe or ground beef!

In case you don't believe me, here are the facts, summarized from information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC. Remember that these are not the final figures for many of these outbreaks as they are still ongoing:

•Peanut Butter – 35 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 19 States, 8 hospitalizations, 0 deaths

•Hedgehogs – 14 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 6 states, 3 hospitalizations, 0 deaths.

•Mangoes – 121 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 15 states, 25 hospitalizations, 0 deaths.

•Cantaloupes – 261 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 24 states, 94 hospitalizations, 3 deaths

•Ground Beef - 46 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 9 states, 12 hospitalizations, 0 deaths

•Live Poultry - 3 outbreaks in the past 3 months, involving 5 different kinds of Salmonella – total of 276 illnesses in 11, 22 and 26 states, with a total of 58 hospitalizations and 3 deaths.

•Dry Dog Food - 49 Salmonella-caused illnesses in 20 states, with 10 hospitalizations, 0 deaths (caused by people touching the dog food - not eating it!).

•Raw Scraped Ground Tuna Product - 425 Salmonella-caused illnesses, in 28 states, 55 hospitalizations, 0 deaths.

•Small Turtles - 3 different Salmonella bacteria causing 196 illnesses in 31 states, 36 hospitalizations, 0 deaths.

To your good health,
TSF

EXPANDING FOOD RECALLS

Food contamination and food recalls often follow the same pattern in industrialized nations. They start small, with a "limited" recall, and then expand to become huge, and even nationwide recalls of different food products and brand name foods. From the first recall to the last linked one, the whole process can take weeks or even months.

That is what is happening with the ongoing peanut and other nut butter recalls in the U.S, and to a lesser extent, with the mango one.

The nut recall started with Trader Joe's recalling its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter made with sea salt, and Sunland, Inc. which made the product for TJ's, recalling its peanut and almond butter - 2 days later. Over a period of days, this recall has expanded to include other types of nut products made by Sunland, and, to include various retailers and other manufacturers of foods which used them - some of them small businesses. These are simply innocent victims.

This nut butter recall is still very much ongoing. There are now too many products to even list here (check the FDA site) - candies, chocolates, sandwiches, crackers, brownies, crunchies, ice-creams, and so on as well as a multitude of nut butters. Even top (that is, expensive, and supposedly "healthy") stores such as Whole Foods are involved (see Oct. 4 post)- as well as many others.

As for the Mexican Daniella Brand mango recall, this was first announced in the U.S. about a month ago. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc, must have known then that many of its fresh-cut fruit packages contained the same mangoes, and it should recall them. But only now is it getting around to doing so. Their recall includes a long, long list of fresh-packaged fruit items of all kinds (in cups, bowls, packages) that were made with these possibly Salmonella-contaminated mangos. They were distributed to retail outlets such as Walmart and 7-Eleven. This huge corporation which can afford the cost of the recall better than some small family-run company, should know better - and have acted immediately.

As I've said before - don't eat any mango or nut butter products or restaurant foods for a while - no matter what brand name, until all this gets sorted out. (Oops...Did I really eat mango sorbet at that restaurant last night?)

To your good health,

TSF

THIS MANGO RECALLING COMPANY DESERVES PRAISE

The mango recall is ongoing and expanding in the U.S. A number of fruit salad and other fresh fruit product manufacturers are recalling their products (see previous post). But this is a case where I think the mango distributor that started the process - Splendid Products - really deserves some praise.

Let me tell you why. First, they immediately recalled their Daniella brand mangoes, even though there was no proof at that point that their mangoes were the ones that were related to cases of Salmonellosis in Canada and the U.S. Secondly, the company publicized the recall on their website and provided useful information to consumers, including a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) list.

You would be surprised at how few companies acknowledge an ongoing recall publicly. And I have never seen one that goes out of its way to provide this much information. Take a look on: http://www.splendidmangos.com/.

I hope this company - established in 1976 - survives this recall and does not have to declare bankrupcy like so many others that have had similar experiences.

To your good health,

TSF