Recall - Firm Press Release

From the FDA:


Recall -- Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.
Fresh Express Foods Corporation, Inc. Recalls Cube Cut Cantaloupe Due to Possible Health Risk

Contact:
Miles Stewart
541-773-4431

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 28, 2008 -- Fresh Express Foods Corporation, Inc. of Medford Oregon is voluntarily recalling cut cubed processed cantaloupe. This product was received from C.H. Robinson, supplied by Agropecuaria Montelibano, a grower in Honduras. This product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration we have recalled all of the product.

This organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e. infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The recalled cut cubed cantaloupe was distributed to 2 local restaurants, 1 hospital and 1 retirement center in Medford and 1 restaurant in Klamath Fall Oregon. One grocery store, Price Less "Deli Department", in Cave Junction Oregon received cut product and all have been contacted under our food safety recall policy.

No illnesses have been reported to date, however individuals should call their healthcare professional if any of these symptoms occur.

Fresh Express Foods Corporation, Inc. has received product from a new source and will continue to supply our customers.

For more information you may contact Miles Stewart at 541-773-4431.

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Garden state no more?

Luis of the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group again uncovers a great link, this a video of farmers in NJ protesting plans to scuttle the state ag department there.

Guess not

The truckers' strike was a dud, says this story from Ala. From the piece in the Tuscaloosa News:

Inside the TA Truckstop off Interstate 20/59 in Tuscaloosa, Lorenzo Thaniel was heating up a ready-made cup of rice and vegetables for lunch.'I would stop, but ain't nobody stopped,' said the Baltimore, Md., native. 'I can't do it by myself.'Thaniel was on his way home and didn't want to idle Tuesday, but he said something needs to be done about skyrocketing fuel prices.Cline,

A typical delivery will pull in $1.60 a mile, but after he pays for fuel and the driver, Cline said, about 30 cents is left to cover vehicle insurance, maintenance and any hoped-for profit.'I made more money in the 1970s than I do now,' he said. 'We're out there working for basically nothing.'

Resnicks make the New Yorker

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer here ...

If you haven't seen it, check out the April edition of The New Yorker, which has a feature article on Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of Pom Wonderful, Paramount Farms, Paramount Citrus, et. al.

Unfortunately the article is not available online, but I will pass along some choice observations and quotes.

Noting how well the couple works together, the article calls the couple the "Bill and Hillary" of the business world. Lynda is queen of the marketing, Stewart is king of the business end.

The couple functions as a team, but Stewart and Lynda are not joined at the hip in every decision, including major purchases. The article quotes Lynda as saying, "Big purchases, anything over $25 million, we talk."

With more than 120,000 acres of nuts and tree fruits, they may have the largest such acreage in the world, the article notes.

This season, Pom Wonderful harvested nearly 200 million pomegranates, according to the article.

So far, Pom Wonderful has invested $23 million in research on pomegranate's health benefits, and another $7 million is in the pipeline.

The article is a fascinating look at the Resnick's high-flying lifestyle, made possible by their strong entreprenuerial spirits. To note that they came from initially middle-class backgrounds lends further proof to the notion that America is the land of opportunity.

Tag teaming COOL

No one knows for sure what is going to happen with COOL, but at least we are all in it together. Here is a joint communication to membership from PMA and WGA:


DATE: April 2, 2008

TO: PMA and WGA Members

FROM: Bryan Silbermann, PMA President, BSilbermann@pma.com and Tom Nassif, WGA President, TNassif@wga.com

RE: Country of Origin Labeling

Our associations continue to receive many questions from members who are confused about the status of country of origin labeling (COOL) for produce, with respect to both the implementation date and the requirements.

The status and compliance requirements of COOL remain uncertain and so are unclear to buyers and sellers alike. Nonetheless, suppliers have received notices from retailers who expect them to comply with the current proposed rules even though the requirements:

• may still be changed by regulation
• are not currently enforceable, and
• may also be modified by favorable legislation now before Congress.

We are writing to ask for your patience as the legislative and regulatory process finds resolution before we needlessly add what may be unnecessary expenses that will filter through the entire supply chain. None of us wants to see unnecessary costs added at a time when all of us are already being impacted by multiple inflationary pressures.

With that in mind, we wanted to provide you with some background information to help clarify the current situation. Please understand that this overview is not intended as legal advice but rather as information designed to help you make fair and responsible business decisions.

How we got here
The 2002 Farm Bill included the requirement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue guidelines for country of origin labeling for fresh fruits and vegetables at retail point of sale.

After considering extensive comments from industry on the guidelines, the USDA issued a proposed rule for mandatory COOL in 2003. Industry again raised concerns about the scope and burden of the requirements in the proposed rule. These concerns resulted in delaying COOL implementation for produce to September 30, 2008.

As noted previously, as of April 2, COOL requirements have not been issued in final form and may be changed by the legislation now before Congress. The current USDA proposed rule is still just that – and therefore not legally enforceable. For more information on the specific provisions included in the proposed rule, please visit our web sites: PMA at www.pma.com/issues/labeling.cfm or WGA at www.wga.com.

So what happens next?
In view of the uncertainty at this time regarding the legislative and regulatory outcome, it is not the purpose of this letter to provide more detailed compliance advice to members. That will come later when we know what is required to comply with the final government directive.

PMA and WGA are forming a Task Force of our members to review whatever the final outcome of COOL is and to make recommendations to our members on a fair and responsible implementation process that serves the interests of the entire supply chain. Mike O'Brien of Schnuck Markets and Tom Deardorff, Deardorff Family Farms will co-chair the Task Force.

Our associations will continue to keep you updated on COOL's progress through the legislative and regulatory process. In the meanwhile, we once again ask for your patience and consideration of your business partners as you develop your decisions related to COOL.

Don't be bashful

I want to again recommend this blog's companion Web site/board, the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group.

Typically both Big Apple and Luis both get up before the sun shines and provide great links, and Valerie has also been active of late. Today, Big Apple posts FR notices about the Food Protection Plan and the FDA's call for input on third party inspections. Luis notes the ebb and flow of the food safety debate on Capitol Hill. We have 113 members so far, with everyone from AMS officials, association types, big box buyers, suppliers, food safety professionals, fellow bloggers and international suppliers. There is a spot for you, too.

FDA - Tomato Safety Initiative Continues in 2008

From the FDA's Web site:


On March 31, 2008, FDA, in cooperation with Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida's Department of Health, the University of Florida, and CDC, began visiting Florida based tomato farms and packing facilities to assess conditions and practices and to what degree they implement Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices (GAPs/GMPs). This is a continuation of the Tomato Safety Initiative launched in the summer of 2007. Assessments of Florida farms and packing facilities were originally planned for the fall of 2007, but were rescheduled to better coincide with the peak production season.

CNN Trucker Strike Report