On August 9th, Whole Foods had to recall tons of tainted beef from their shelves and consumers from their freezers that was produced between June 2nd and August 6th. This saddened me greatly. Whole Foods is the arbiter of organic, natural products, using top distributors and taking food safety seriously. But organic and natural doesn’t mean 100% safe if there are chinks in the armor when it comes to keeping tabs on the plants and slaughterhouses.
According to the AP, “Nebraska Beef on Friday (August 8th, ed.) recalled 1.2 million pounds of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef that were made on June 17, June 24 and July 8. The products have been linked to illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia…. And the illness is from E. coli which is no joke. E. coli is most damaging and potentially fatal to the very young or elderly or those with impaired immune systems. If you think you’ve had ground beef from Coleman Natural Beef or Whole Foods in that date range and in those states, please see your medical professional just as a precaution.
And for one who shops at Whole Foods weekly, what do you do when this top food retailer has a food recall and you feel deflated and not fully trusting as I do? Well know that Whole Foods has acted swiftly and humbly. According to the New York Times and their own press release they have completely acknowledged that their recall was voluntary and not forced by the U.S Deppartment of Agriculture. Like any big corporation, Whole Foods is one and the recall seems to be a breakdown in operations that they are quickly and vehemently rectifying.
As stated in the Times, Coleman Natural began using a slaughterhouse in Omaha that has been linked to the source of the contaminated beef and that had received multiple citations. Whole Foods acknowledged that a code stamped on beef packages arriving at its stores accurately reflected the change in processing plants. But — and here’s the big BUT: Whole Foods stated it had no procedures in place to watch the codes on arriving meat packages, and therefore failed to notice it was getting beef from a packing plant it had never approved.
So what does the consumer do. Reading this oversight in checks and balances is making me want to stop eating meat again, but I NEED meat in my diet now. Once again, it brings me back to the need to truly know the source of your food. I urge my readers to please investigate farmers markets (go to localharvest.org for one in your neighborhood) where small family farms are selling meat and produce that has not been processed in a huge plant. Food safety has got to become a number one issue for consumers.
If you have any thoughts on food safety and this meat recall from Whole Foods, please send comments to us. Collectively and as a community perhaps we can come up with some alternatives or begin to build trust and awareness as a group.
Written by: Michelle Barge
According to the AP, “Nebraska Beef on Friday (August 8th, ed.) recalled 1.2 million pounds of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef that were made on June 17, June 24 and July 8. The products have been linked to illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia…. And the illness is from E. coli which is no joke. E. coli is most damaging and potentially fatal to the very young or elderly or those with impaired immune systems. If you think you’ve had ground beef from Coleman Natural Beef or Whole Foods in that date range and in those states, please see your medical professional just as a precaution.
And for one who shops at Whole Foods weekly, what do you do when this top food retailer has a food recall and you feel deflated and not fully trusting as I do? Well know that Whole Foods has acted swiftly and humbly. According to the New York Times and their own press release they have completely acknowledged that their recall was voluntary and not forced by the U.S Deppartment of Agriculture. Like any big corporation, Whole Foods is one and the recall seems to be a breakdown in operations that they are quickly and vehemently rectifying.
As stated in the Times, Coleman Natural began using a slaughterhouse in Omaha that has been linked to the source of the contaminated beef and that had received multiple citations. Whole Foods acknowledged that a code stamped on beef packages arriving at its stores accurately reflected the change in processing plants. But — and here’s the big BUT: Whole Foods stated it had no procedures in place to watch the codes on arriving meat packages, and therefore failed to notice it was getting beef from a packing plant it had never approved.
So what does the consumer do. Reading this oversight in checks and balances is making me want to stop eating meat again, but I NEED meat in my diet now. Once again, it brings me back to the need to truly know the source of your food. I urge my readers to please investigate farmers markets (go to localharvest.org for one in your neighborhood) where small family farms are selling meat and produce that has not been processed in a huge plant. Food safety has got to become a number one issue for consumers.
If you have any thoughts on food safety and this meat recall from Whole Foods, please send comments to us. Collectively and as a community perhaps we can come up with some alternatives or begin to build trust and awareness as a group.
Written by: Michelle Barge