Sprouts

Soybean sprouts recalled due to listeria risk

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 20:58:40 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration said Nam & Son of Jessup, Md., has recalled its 1-pound bags of soybean sprouts with a sell-by date of Dec. 14, 2023, because of a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The FDA said these 1-pound bags were distrusted to retail stores in Virginia ranging from Dec. 6-7, 2023.

The company initiated the recall after a random sample collected and analyzed by the state of Virginia indicated the presence Listeria monocytogenes in the product, according to the FDA, which added that Nam & Sons started investigating the root cause of the problem.

The administration advises retail stores to remove the product with the sell-by date on the packaging.

Canadian microgreens recalled for salmonella

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:35:44 GMT

Ontario health officials are investigating an outbreak of salmonella associated with microgreens from Sunsprout Natural Foods.

The sprouts, grown in Brantford, Ontario, received an advisory from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in August after the agency detected salmonella in a test of alfalfa and radish microgreens.

The CFIA issued a recall of Sprouts Alive and Sunsprout brands alfalfa microgreens on Sept. 19.

On Sept. 22, the agency added Sunsprout brand Alfalfa & Onion and Alfalfa & Radish products, sold in 100-gram containers with the Universal Product Codes of 0 57621 13516 1 and 0 57621 13512 3, respectively and best-before dates of Oct. 5.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is advising consumers not to eat the microgreens, or for retailers or restaurants to sell/serve them.

Distribution was limited to Ontario. Health and regulators officials in Canada have not release how many cases are linked to the microgreens.

“This recall was triggered by findings by the CFIA during its investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak,” according to the agency’s Sept. 22 notice. “The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products.”

Sprout Safety Alliance training program set

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:46:39 GMT

The Sprout Safety Alliance has scheduled its next training course for growers.

The course is the second part of its Sprout Grower Training Blended Course and contains two four-sessions, on Nov. 5-6. The first part of the course is self-led and can be completed before the second part, which is online and features live instruction. The class is limited to 12, according to the organization.

Registration and information on both parts of the course is on the Sprout Safety Alliance’s website .

Sprout-growing operations are subject to the Produce Safety Rule, including requirements specifically for growing sprouts. The Sprout Safety Alliance’s course is the “standardized curriculum” recognized by the FDA, according to the organization.

“Successfully completing this course will be helpful in understanding and implementing the Produce Safety Rule requirements and best practices for enhancing sprout safety,” according to the alliance’s website.

Carmen Wakeling, owner and manager of Eatmore Sprouts, Courtenay, British Columbia, and president of the International Sprout Growers Association, said the Sprout Safety Alliance in 2016 initiated a two-day training program for growers. To date 104 growers have participated in the training.

“We look forward to continuing to build a healthy and safe sprouting industry,” Wakeling said in an e-mail.

The Sprout Safety Task Force, which started in 2009, is a collaboration of growers, regulators and scientists that has been involved in numerous projects to support and educate growers and seed suppliers, Wakeling said.

Sprout grower opens California production facility

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:58:52 GMT

Rä Foods LLC Wild About Sprouts™, a Sacramento based fresh sprouts produce company, has opened a new production facility at 8200 Berry Ave, Sacramento, CA 95828 to expand production of Wild About Sprouts™ to meet the increasing demand for fresh green sprouts.

“Wild About Sprouts™ is on a mission to reach consumers across the country with fresh, living, safe, healthy, flavorful sprouts,” said Dan Sholl, General Manager, Wild About Sprouts™. “In order to do this, we needed to expand our cold greenhouse space to meet the increasing demand we are experiencing. We’ve customized a few key details, but the overall operation was already in place for us to grow our business in this facility.”

Wild About Sprouts™ are different from traditional sprouts and are grown in individual 3 ounce containers using a patented Cold Grown® process (PAT No. 10015936) that results in the safest sprouts available. The patented Cold Grown® process prevents the growth of pathogens and eliminates handling that could introduce contaminants and promote spoilage. Wild About Sprouts™ seeds are planted directly in 3 ounce retail packages and from planting to the plate, the sprouts remain alive and completely untouched until harvested by consumers in their homes. As an additional safety step, final product testing occurs on every shipment.

Cold Grown® Wild About Sprouts™ are also produced in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way; being herbicide-free and pesticide-free and using only ¼ cup of water per package with no waste. Wild About Sprouts™ are amazingly versatile and these tiny veggies are compact and easy to store, taking up little space in a refrigerator while offering twice the protein and fiber of traditionally grown sprouts.

Wild About Sprouts™ come in six varieties. The 100% Clover is sweet and delicate, the Broccoli/Clover blend is mild and peppery, and the “Spicy Blend” of radish and clover brings the heat with a dash of red in the rootlets. Alfalfa has a nutty, mild flavor, the Clover/Alfalfa blend is sweet and nutty and 100% Broccoli is strong, bold and peppery.

“We are here to support our grocers in their efforts to keep quality fresh produce on stores shelves during this difficult time of COVID and our new facility and increased growing capacity will help us to accomplish that,” said Sholl. “We are also continuing to support our local food shelves with a recent donation of more than 600 cases of Wild About Sprouts™. This is added to the more than 6,000 cases we have donated to food shelves this year.”

“In addition to adding growing space, we are excited to announce Wild About Sprouts™ has partnered with Ilana Muhlstein RDN, MS, author, public speaker, influencer and member of the Leadership Team for the American Heart Association. The goal is to help introduce and educate consumers about the benefits of adding Wild About Sprouts™ to your healthy eating routine. There is a generation of consumers that don’t really know what sprouts are and we are taking on the challenge of helping people understand the benefits of these powerful little plants.”

Sprouts from Jimmy John’s named in another E. coli outbreak

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:08:21 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating another E. coli outbreak linked to sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants, just days after the FDA warned the company its food safety procedures were lacking in the wake of numerous outbreaks in recent years.

The Feb. 21 warning letter references five outbreaks since 2012 linked to sprouts and cucumbers from Jimmy John’s restaurants, including an E. coli outbreak with 21 patients in Iowa from fall 2019, blamed on the restaurant chain’s clover sprouts .

The new outbreak, announced by the FDA on Feb. 26, involves 14 cases of E. coli in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Utah, also names Jimmy John’s clover sprouts as the likely source. The supplier was not identified, but Sprouts Unlimited Inc. , Marion, Iowa, which has supplied Jimmy John’s in the past, also received a warning letter from the FDA in connection with previous Jimmy John’s investigations.

Jimmy John’s told the FDA on Feb. 24 it had removed clover sprouts from all menu items.

“FDA has activated a team to coordinate this outbreak investigation,” according to the FDA notice on the outbreak. “This team is currently collecting records and initiating a traceback investigation to determine the source of the clover sprouts.

The FDA is working with local and state health officials in the states involved in the outbreak, and is investigating whether the implicated sprouts have been distributed elsewhere, according to the release.

Related stories:

FDA warns Jimmy John’s after outbreaks from sprouts, cukes

Fresh Sprouts brand Fresh Bean Sprouts recalled due to salmonella

Company recalls sprouts linked to Iowa E. coli cases

FDA warns Jimmy John’s after outbreaks from sprouts, cukes

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:19 GMT

Jimmy John’s has a pattern of receiving and selling “adulterated” sprouts and cucumbers , leading to repeated outbreaks of foodborne illness, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The agency sent the sandwich restaurant company, Jimmy John’s Franchise LLC, Champaign, Ill., a warning letter that detailed five outbreaks linked to Jimmy John’s restaurants. The letter is addressed to Jimmy John’s President James North.

According to media reports, the sandwich chain has taken sprouts off its menu, a temporary move it made following a 2012 outbreak .

The FDA also posted a warning letter to Jimmy John’s supplier Sprouts Unlimited Inc. , Marion, Iowa. According to the letter, addressed to Sprout Unlimited President William Beach, the FDA found “numerous serious violations” of regulations during an inspection of its growing facility from Dec. 31-Jan. 9. The FDA was at the facility because it was identified as a clover sprouts supplier to Jimmy Johns, whose products are linked to an E. coli outbreak that sickened 22 people in Iowa from Nov. 21 to Dec. 14, according to the FDA letter.

The outbreaks linked Jimmy John’s franchises, according to the FDA warning letter, are:

E. coli, November-December 2019: Twenty-two patients reported eating at one or more of 15 Jimmy John’s locations in Iowa;
Salmonella Montevideo, early 2018: 10 people in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin were sick and most reported eating at Jimmy John’s before becoming ill;
E. coli, 2014: 19 people became infected in Idaho, Montana, Michigan, Utah, California and Washington, with clover sprouts as the common factor;
E. coli, 2013: 8 patients in Colorado reported eating products with raw cucumbers as an ingredient from Denver-area Jimmy John’s locations; and
E. coli, 2012: 29 people in 11 states became sick, and the FDA found a single lot of seed grown and distributed by multiple sprout companies that supplied six Jimmy John’s outlets implicated in the outbreak.

Taken together, according to the FDA warning letter to Jimmy John’s, the outbreaks demonstrate “the supplier control mechanisms you have in place for receiving fresh produce are inadequate.”

The letter does not refer to a possible foodborne illness outbreak at a Jimmy John’s in St. Louis that was reportedly closed by the City of St. Louis Department of Health Jan. 25; it has since re-opened.

An FDA spokesperson said the agency typically is involved in multi-state outbreaks, and referred questions to the City of St. Louis Department of Health. The Packer contacted the health department Feb. 25, but has not heard back.

The FDA’s release on the warning letter was from Feb. 21; Jimmy John’s has 15 days after receiving the letter to respond.

Jimmy John’s parent company Inspire Brands decided to destroy all sprouts on hand in all of the Jimmy John’s restaurants in the recent outbreak, and implement an additional cleaning and sanitation at all Iowa restaurants, according to the FDA letter. The FDA is asking for plans the restaurant chain has for all 2,800 restaurants to prevent the “receipt and sale of adulterated foods.”

“It is your responsibility to ensure your firm complies with all requirements of federal law and implementing regulations,” according to the letter. “You should take prompt action to correct all violations noted in this letter. Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in enforcement action by FDA without further notice, including seizure and/or injunction.”

Related stories:

Company recalls sprouts linked to Iowa E. coli cases

CDC gives salmonella outbreak details as Jimmy John’s pulls sprouts

UPDATED: Jimmy John’s brings back sprouts

FDA injunction forces sprout grower to stop production

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:46:18 GMT

Fortune Food Product Inc., a Chicago sprout grower and maker of soy products, has agreed to shut down after the Food and Drug Administration issued its first injunction under the Produce Safety Rule.

A U.S. district judge approved the FDA’s injunction on Sept. 15 against the company, owner Steven Seeto and supervisor Tiffany Jiang, more than two years after the agency sent a warning letter detailing food safety violations regarding sprout growing and other processes at the company, according to a news release from the FDA.

It’s the first use of the power the Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in 2011, gave the FDA in terms of forcing a company to cease production through the Produce Safety Rule.

The FDA has been in contact with the company since an inspection in January 2018 started a process that led to the warning letter in July of that year, when the agency detailed five specific violations of the Produce Safety Rule concerning mung bean sprouts .

According to the release, no illnesses were caused as a result of the violations found during FDA inspections. However, the complaint filed by U.S.

Department of Justice on behalf of the FDA notes the agency “conducted multiple inspections and documented insanitary conditions showing that sprouts and soy products may have become contaminated with filth or may have been rendered injurious to health.”

Fortune Food Product agreed to stop production until it takes remedial actions to comply with food safety guidelines. The Sept. 15 consent decree prohibits Fortune Food Product to grow, harvest, pack and hold sprouts/soy products from any facility until the FDA agrees corrective actions have been taken.

“Manufacturing foods in violation of the Produce Safety Rule and Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations places consumers’ health at risk,” Stacy Amin, FDA chief counsel, said in the release. “This action demonstrates the agency’s commitment to pursuing and taking swift action against those who repeatedly disregard these food safety standards and distribute adulterated foods.”

The consent decree prohibits the defendants from growing, harvesting, packing and holding sprouts and soy products at or from their facility, or any other facility, until certain requirements are met. The consent decree requires the defendants to, among other things, take corrective actions and notify the FDA before such operations may resume.

Related stories:

FDA seeks comments on sprout seed food safety guidelines

FDA, state ag departments sign produce safety plan

FDA announces draft guidance for sprout operations

Chop Shop Produce satisfies PACA order, can apply for license

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:46:18 GMT

The Chop Shop Produce LLC, San Antonio, has satisfied a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act reparation order.

The company can operate in the industry again after applying for and receiving a PACA license, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture news release.

Chop Shop Produce paid the $7,111 it owed to satisfy the PACA order, and the company’s principals, Jamie Gonzalez and James Smith, can be employed by and affiliated with PACA licensees, according to the release.

The debt was owed to a California company that sold produce to Chop Shop. The USDA sanctioned the company for violating the PACA in July 2018.

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Canadian agency recalls Sunsprout microgreens

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:36:26 GMT

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to eat Alfalfa & Radish Micro-greens from Sunsprout after a routine test found the presence of salmonella.

According to the agency, the Aug. 11 advisory concerns retail packs of the alfalfa and radish sprouts sold in 100-gram plastic containers with the Universal Product Code of 0 57621 13512 3 and best-by date of Aug. 11.

The CFIA reported no illnesses have been linked to the product, but it is conducting a food safety investigation which “may lead to the recall of other products.”

The agency also said retailers should not sell the product and restaurants and other foodservice operators should not serve the Sunsprout alfalfa and radish sprouts.

The warning was triggered by CFIA test results.

The product, which was grown in Brantford, Ontario, according to the package, was distributed to retailers in Ontario.

Fullei Fresh’s Manny Wong recognized by SBA in Florida

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:49:29 GMT

Manny Wong, owner and president of Fullei Fresh , Miami, has been named the Minority-Owned Small Business Person of Year for South Florida by the Small Business Administration.

Wong is involved in community organizations and is vice president of the International Sprout Growers Association and was involved with the formation of the Food and Drug Administration’s Sprout Safety Alliance, which developed regulations for the sprout industry, according to a news release from the company.

Wong is a lead instructor for the alliance, teaching growers and regulators about the sprout protocols.

“Manny will always be a proponent of the sprout industry and educating others,” according to the release. “In times like these, consumers want to benefit from nutrient-dense foods so now is the perfect time to eat more sprouts or try sprouting at home.”

The award recognizes Wong’s efforts in “advancing business ownership for Florida entrepreneurs,” according the release.

He was recognized during a virtual ceremony on Sept. 24.

Related stories:

Sprout grower Fullei Fresh completes Primus audit

Fullei Fresh honored for diversity

FDA seeks comments on sprout seed food safety guidelines

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:05:54 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration has released a proposal on food safety guidelines for sprout seeds and will be taking public comments until late August.

The proposal, known as draft guidance because the FDA could revise it based on comments, will be published on June 25 in the Federal Register. Comments received through Aug. 26 will be considered by the FDA in the draft guidance process.

FDA recommendations in the document include:

Seed should be grown using good agricultural practices;
Seed should be packed and held in sanitary conditions;
Sprout seed suppliers should take steps to reduce microbial food safety hazards, including training for people with food safety responsibilities;
Seed for sprouting should be stored separately from other seed; and
Food contact surfaces should be cleanable, and cleaned regularly.

In releasing the information on June 24, the FDA noted that there have been 50 outbreaks of foodborne illness related to sprouts from Jan. 1996-Aug. 2018, with more than 2,600 people becoming ill.

The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act specifically addresses sprouts through the Produce Safety Rule because growing sprouts have distinctive practices and risks, according to a news release on the guidance.

However, the FDA considers the seeds themselves to be outside of the “covered produce” in the safety rule. In fact, the growing, conditioning and distributing of the seeds are outside the scope of the rule, according to the FDA — even though contaminated seeds “are likely the source of most sprout-related outbreaks.”

“In addition, although the end use of seed may sometimes be unknown by the farmers who grow the seed and by the conditioners and distributors who handle the seed, seed for sprouting is considered ‘food’ under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act,” according to the FDA release. “Therefore, the draft guidance released today is intended to provide food safety recommendations for those that grow, condition, pack, hold or distribute seed for sprouting.”

Comments can be submitted online to the Federal Register , as well as by mail to Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), FDA, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD, 20852.

All comments should include docket number FDA-2018-D-4534.

Related articles:

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FDA sprout program halts outbreak, leads to recalls

Sprout grower Fullei Fresh completes Primus audit

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:24 GMT

Miami sprout grower Fullei Fresh has completed the Primus GFS audit.

The company, which received a 95 out of a possible 100 on the audit, says it boosts its “intentions of courting major corporate accounts,” according to a news release. The company’s products are currently in stores that include Whole Foods Markets, The Fresh Market and Lucky’s Market.

The company also distributes through Freedom Fresh, Fresh Point, Mr. Green’s, Sysco and others.

“We are proud of our employees and the quality products we have,” Fullei Fresh owner Manny Wong said in the release. “Together with our long shelf life, the Primus GFS audit will hopefully open new doors for us.”

The company has the capacity to increase production and is ready to expand to other regions, according to the release.

Fullei Fresh credits the Food and Drug Administration’s Sprout Safety Alliance, created by the Food and Drug Administration and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Food Safety in 2012. The alliance is designed to “enhance the industry’s understanding and implementation of best practices for improving sprout safety” and requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, according to the group’s website.

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FDA advises against eating sprouts from Chicago Indoor Garden

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:08:21 GMT

For an update to this story, see “ Chicago Indoor Garden recalls red clover sprouts products .”

The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers against eating several sprouts products from Chicago Indoor Garden after testing linked it to an earlier outbreak of E. coli.

The sprouts from the Chicago-based grower are clover (with and without non-GMO labels), Sprout Salad, Mixed Greens and Spring Salad.

The FDA posted its recommendation March 13, but the company has not recalled any products and the FDA did not increase the number of people who became ill, indicating that Chicago Indoor Garden products might not been linked to linked to the 14 cases. The FDA reported there were 14 cases on Feb. 26.

The FDA reported a sample of the company’s product — it did not specify which one — tested positive for the same E. coli strain in the outbreak. Whole genome sequencing made the match, according to the FDA.

Cases in the outbreak are in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Utah, and the FDA has identified clover sprouts as the source.

The FDA on Feb. 26 reported that epidemiologic evidence indicates that clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants are the “likely source of this outbreak.” On Feb. 21, the FDA sent a warning letter to the sandwich restaurant company about repeated outbreaks linked to the company in recent years — four from sprouts and one from cucumbers.

The current outbreak is not related to the other five, according to the FDA. The agency did not say if Chicago Indoor Garden is a Jimmy John’s supplier.

As it has in the past, Jimmy John’s has removed sprouts from menus.

Related stories:

Sprouts from Jimmy John’s named in another E. coli outbreak

FDA warns Jimmy John’s after outbreaks from sprouts, cukes

Company recalls sprouts linked to Iowa E. coli cases

FDA traces clover sprouts in E. coli cases to common seed source

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:08:17 GMT

Clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants and a Chicago grower that have been linked to an E. coli outbreak came from a common seed lot.

The FDA announced the link on March 19, reporting that the number of cases has risen from 14 to 39.
Jimmy John’s removed sprouts from its menus in late February after the FDA linked it through whole genome sequencing to the outbreak. The agency later advised consumers to avoid certain sprout products from Chicago Indoor Garden ; that company on March 16 recalled the products:

Red Clover in 4-ounce clamshells;
Red Clover in 2-pound boxes;
Sprout Salad in 6-ounce clamshells;
Mixed Greens in 4-ounce clamshells; and
Spring Salad in 6-ounce clamshells.

They have best-by days between Dec. 1-March 12.

“We assure you that we have been working diligently to produce a safe product for our customers,” Brian Gorman, Chicago Indoor Garden president, said in the recall notice. “In the meantime, we are continuing to grow red clover sprouts with seed from a different supplier to ensure this will no longer be problem in the future.”

Jimmy John’s was not listed as a recipient of any of the Chicago Indoor Garden products that were recalled.

On March 19, the FDA reported that a traceback investigation revealed the seeds used for Jimmy John’s sprouts and by the Chicago company came from the same seed lot. The seed supplier has not been named.

The FDA is continuing its traceback, to determine what other growers received seeds from that lot, if any, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also monitoring for additional illnesses linked to the sprouts.

The cases are in Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Utah, with the latter having the most cases, 27.

Related stories:

Chicago Indoor Garden recalls red clover sprouts products

FDA advises against eating sprouts from Chicago Indoor Garden

FDA warns Jimmy John’s after outbreaks from sprouts, cukes

Chicago Indoor Garden recalls red clover sprouts products

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:38:53 GMT

Chicago Indoor Garden is recalling all of its products containing red clover sprouts , after the Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to avoid them.

The FDA, which is investigating an E. coli outbreak linked to clover sprouts, tested one of the company’s products and found a genetic match to the E. coli strain through whole genome sequencing.

Chicago Indoor Garden, Chicago, recalled the sprouts on March 16. The products were distributed to Whole Foods stores throughout the Midwest, Coosemans Chicago Inc., Battaglia Distributing and Living Waters Farms, according to the sprout company’s recall notice.

The following sprout products are covered by the recall:

Red Clover in 4-ounce clamshells;
Red Clover in 2-pound boxes;
Sprout Salad in 6-ounce clamshells;
Mixed Greens in 4-ounce clamshells; and
Spring Salad in 6-ounce clamshells.

They have best-by days between Dec. 1-March 12.

“We assure you that we have been working diligently to produce a safe product for our customers,” Brian Gorman, Chicago Indoor Garden president, said in the recall notice. “In the meantime, we are continuing to grow red clover sprouts with seed from a different supplier to ensure this will no longer be problem in the future.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there are 14 cases involved in the outbreak, and the FDA did not increase the number of cases from a Feb. 26 update. The FDA has reported the outbreak is likely from clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants.

Related stories:

FDA advises against eating sprouts from Chicago Indoor Garden

Sprouts from Jimmy John’s named in another E. coli outbreak

FDA warns Jimmy John’s after outbreaks from sprouts, cukes

FDA concludes investigation into E. coli linked to sprouts

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:32:24 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration has concluded an investigation into an E. coli outbreak linked to clover sprouts , and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection said the outbreak is over.

Health and regulatory agencies linked the sprouts to 51 illnesses in 10 states, according to the FDA’s final update on the outbreak on April 22. Thirty-four of the cases were in Utah.

The FDA said people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly, pregnant women and children, should not eat sprouts of any kind.
Chicago Indoor Garden recalled all of its products with red clover sprouts after they were distributed to Coosemans Chicago, Battalgia Distributing, Living Waters Farms and Whole Foods stores in the Midwest. Samples tested by the FDA matched the same outbreak strain from a November-

December 2019 outbreak in Iowa linked to sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants, according to the FDA’s April 22 notice.

Related stories:

FDA traces clover sprouts in E. coli cases to common seed source

Chicago Indoor Garden recalls red clover sprouts products

Sprouts from Jimmy John’s named in another E. coli outbreak

FDA: Urgent bean and soy sprout voluntary recall

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:59:47 GMT

Released Oct. 12:

The purpose of this announcement is to advise you that Fullei Fresh is voluntarily recalling Bean Sprouts and Soy Sprouts as a precaution due to possible exposure to listeria monocytogenes.

Affected lots are numbered consecutively between 251 and 271. They were harvested and shipped to distributors between September 14 and October 5, 2021.

Both conventional and organic bean sprouts as well as soy sprouts are voluntarily recalled. No other products are affected at this time as they are grown and packed in segregated departments.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, a Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Fullei Fresh recalls sprouts due to listeria concerns

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:43:16 GMT

Fullei Fresh , Miami, is recalling organic bean sprouts from Whole Foods Markets in Florida because of a possible Listeria Monocytogenes contamination.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website March 8.

The sprouts were shipped to Whole Foods in Florida and Miami distributor Freedom Fresh, according to the recall notice.

Fullei Fresh issued the recall after the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services tested a sample of the sprouts pulled from a store shelf.

The sprouts are packed in 4-ounce clamshells with lot codes of 041 and sell by date of Feb. 28 (printed on back label). The Universal Product Code is 017442052108.

Organics clean up

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:51:11 GMT

With “clean eating” gaining momentum as part of the food culture, organic produce provides an easy solution for health-conscious consumers. In fact, 90% of total organic fruit and vegetable sales in 2017—to the tune of $16.5 billion—came from fresh produce sales, according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2018 Organic Industry Survey. Fresh Trends 2019 found that 60% of shoppers said they opted for organics because they wanted to avoid chemicals in their food.

While each person has his or her own motivation for buying organic produce, most people do it to feel good about what they’re putting into their bodies, as the “clean eating” movement suggests. Nearly half of buyers in Fresh Trends 2019 (48%) indicated that “nutrient content/personal health” was a reason they selected organic produce (although there’s no evidence that organics have more nutrients than conventionally grown product). Roughly a third of shoppers (34%) said they felt an environmental responsibility to buy organics.

Shoppers are motivated by a couple of main factors when it comes to buying organics. Consumers said the No. 1 thing they considered was price—they weighed whether the extra cost for organic was worth the advantage to their health. More than half of consumers (57%) said they would buy organic product if price was no object. Of course, shoppers buy with their eyes too. Thirty-seven percent of shoppers said they picked organic because it looked fresher, cleaner or more ripe than conventionally grown produce.

Buyers want to know where to find organics. Nearly two-thirds of consumers (65%) said they preferred that organics be displayed in their own section within the produce department, not interspersed among commodities. Consider promoting “clean eating” on signs in the produce department or in newspaper and online ads to draw shoppers to this category. Shoppers were most likely to source organic fruits and vegetables at their regional supermarket or a specialty market like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods (24% said so). One-fifth of buyers said they picked up organic produce at a chain discount store like Walmart or Target.

Quite a few of those who opt for organic product are pretty heavily invested in it—31% of buyers estimated that 25%-50% of their produce purchases were organic.

Organic standouts

Some devoted organic fans shop all organic, all the time. These consumers tend to fall into a few select demographic groups, typically those age 18-39 and those in the top income bracket. Often families with kids were among the most likely to shop exclusively for organic as well, but it depended on the commodity, and there were variances given exact family size.

Kale topped the list as the item that shoppers always bought as organic, followed by specialty mushrooms and blackberries. Blackberries saw the most year-to-year growth when it came to always-organic purchases, up six percentage points from last year. Raspberries and apricots followed close behind.

Asian pears saw the largest decline from last year based on the likelihood of an exclusively organic purchase—down 14 percentage points—but this fruit was one of the least-purchased overall, so a small sample size likely affected this outcome.

Cranberries and eggplant also saw significant dips in the likelihood of shoppers buying them as organic every time they purchased those items.

Many shoppers dabble in organic purchases, even if they’re not committed enough to always buy organic. Consumers were the most likely to buy kale as organic at least some of the time (it topped the list for periodic organic purchases last year, too).

Apricots showed the most year-to-year growth for periodic organic purchases (up 12 percentage points from last year). However, this fuzzy fruit was one of the least purchased overall, so with a small sample size this growth may not be truly representative. More shoppers bought organic honeydew at least some of the time over the past 12 months too, as the likelihood of a melon purchase increased nine percentage points from Fresh Trends 2018.

Blueberries saw the largest drop in the likelihood of a periodic organic purchase, followed by Asian pears and spinach.

Getting shoppers to opt for an organic purchase is not always easy, however.
Onions, cantaloupe and bell peppers were the top items that shoppers never bought as organic, with at least seven in 10 buyers of these items saying they always bought these vegetables as conventionally grown.