Sludge Watch ==> Salinas Valley food contamination-again - Listeria in Stawberries

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Hmm...We are back to Salinas Valley and serious food contamination issues. 
Listeria in strawberries.

Just who exactly looked at the sewage effluent that may be watering these 
plants?
Just where are the tests on the irrigation water?  And are these 'organic' 
strawberries irrigated with Monterey 'Title 22' sewage effluent?

Or are those nasty filthy spinach-snurfling wild pigs into the strawberry 
beds now?

By the way, Canada still refuses to let spinach from Monterey County and San 
Benito County to cross the border into Canada.  So why does a nice company 
like 'Trader Joe' say that the Salinas Valley  spinach is now 'safe'?

...........................................................................................................................................................
From:  "Web Customer Relations" wcr001 at traderjoes.com
Subject:  RE: Trader Joe's Product Information Form
Date:  Tue, 5 Dec 2006 07:07:10 -0800

>
>The spinach is coming form the Salinas valley and they are completely
>safe to consume. Safety is of utmost importance to Trader Joe's and we
>would not be selling any unsafe products.
>
>Thank you for your inquiry and thank you for shopping at Trader Joe's
>
>Trader Joe's
>Customer Relations

......................................................................................

 Jamba Juice warns of contaminated smoothies
- George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 5, 2006

(12-05) 15:39 PST -- San Francisco beverage chain Jamba Juice said Tuesday 
it may have used contaminated strawberries late last month in several of its 
stores in Southern California, Arizona and Southern Nevada.
One of Jamba Juice's suppliers, Cleugh's Frozen Foods, notified the company 
last week that routine testing in a Salinas food processing center found 
that its frozen strawberries tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a 
potentially harmful bacteria. As of Tuesday, no illnesses have been reported 
as a result of drinking Jamba products.
Cleugh's, a subsidiary of Canadian organic food company SunOpta Inc., said 
in a statement late Monday that it had voluntarily recalled the 
strawberries.
Jamba CEO Paul Clayton said in an interview a supply of 755 cases, each 
containing 30 lbs. of frozen strawberries, had been in different stages of 
the shipping process when the discovery was made. All but about 50 cases of 
the frozen strawberries were found and pulled from distribution centers or 
stores before they were used, he said.
The strawberry cases that aren't accounted for may have been used to make 
smoothies in the three regions between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, Clayton said. He 
said the 50 strawberry cases represent less than 3 three percent of all the 
smoothies made in those areas during the six-day period.
Any customer who purchased smoothies in the affected parts of California, 
Arizona and Nevada who has developed a fever, cold or flu-like symptoms 
should call the Jamba Juice consumer help line at 1-877-464-5689 or consult 
a physician and be tested for infection, Clayton said. Jamba Juice will pay 
for the test, he said.
"The wellbeing and health of our customers is the most important thing,'' 
Clayton said. "If anyone purchased our products in stores in those areas and 
they feel they have developed symptoms, we encourage them to get a blood 
test.''
Clayton said Jamba Juice notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 
state and local health officials about the contamination. It has halted all 
shipments from Cleugh's plant in Salinas "until we are completely convinced 
that their products are safe and processed in a manner consistent with our 
high standards,'' he said in a statement.
Listeria monocytogenes is an uncommon food-borne pathogen that can cause 
listeriosis, an infection that ranges from life-threatening to cases with no 
apparent symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. Those most at risk for infection are pregnant women, infants, 
the elderly or people with weakened immune symptoms, according to the 
agency.
San Francisco's Jamba Juice, which takes its name from an African word jama, 
which means to celebrate, was formed in 1990. It now has 589 stores in 22 
states.
It was acquired for $265 million by a Florida company controlled by Steve 
Berrard, the former head of Blockbuster Entertainment and AutoNation Inc. 
The deal closed Nov. 28.


URL: 
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/05/BAGV3MPROO12.DTL