Parsley sold in Saskatchewan contaminated

04/06/2012
Coral Beach

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a public warning April 4 regarding possible cryptosporidium contamination of fresh parsley sold at one grocery store in Saskatchewan.

The implicated parsley was sold one day, March 19, at a Canada Safeway store. It was sold in banded bunches. The bands carried the Boskovich brand name and “Product of USA” labeling.

No illnesses have been reported in relation to the potentially contaminated parsley, according to a news release from the agency. Garfield Balsom, a food safety and recall specialist with the Canadian agency, said the contamination was found during a random sampling.

Calls to Canada Safeway and Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, Calif., were not immediately returned.

The Canadian food safety agency warned that food contaminated with cryptosporidium may not look or smell spoiled. A protozoan parasite carries the pathogen, which thrives in water and is transmitted from person to person through direct contact with feces.

Comments (3) Leave a comment 

Was a whole box contaminated, or just one or a few bunches? It makes a difference. It could be a produce employee putting it out on the shelf. It could be a Safeway customer (or their children) who had touched the bunches on the shelf. Or the contamination could have happened at the growing level.

This review shows just how vulnerable the system is, and saddly regardless at all what we do, who and when does it, and just as Andrea stays cross contamination of this item (s) could have happened at the store with preciselly no blame to the grower/supplier, who saddly again commonly takes on the blame and accepts it!