WHOLE FOODS RECALLS WILD SALMON

I have to admit that smoked wild salmon is one of my favorite foods. But I am becoming less and less comfortable about eating it. There have been just too many recalls of it lately in the U.S. The reason: contamination with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

The most recent recall is by the very health, ethics and social-responsibility focused (and expensive) Whole Foods Market. This supermarket chain, started in 1980, now has 310 stores in the U.S. and UK. And WFM share price is doing very well too.

Whole Foods Market is recalling one lot code of Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon (4 oz), cold smoked and sliced, sold in stores in 12 states, because it may contain this deadly bacteria. These stores are located in several states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah.

So why is cold smoked salmon so risky? For the answer, see my earlier post : "Should you Eat Smoked Salmon?" of 14 January, 2012. For more information on this and other issues in food safety, including a whole lot related to seafood, read the book.

As a side note, Whole Foods Market has several recalls of contaminated products every year. All kinds of foods, ranging from chocolates to cheeses to fresh fish to juices and now of course, smoked salmon. So much for healthy!

To your good health,

TSF