19 Sep, 2007
Food Distributor Saves Lives With Timely Recall
Posted by: Dina Eliash Robinson In: Food Safety
by Dina Eliash Robinson
This time, no one go hurt. Thanks to the speedy testing and recall last week of salmonella-contaminated, fresh, bagged spinach. Any improvement in the safety of our foods is worth celebrating—whether this one was due to luck, a more efficient distributor, or a lesson well learned from the sickening of 200 people and the death of three who ate similarly bagged fresh spinach, less than a year ago. Preventing such calamities while feeding a continental nation requires not only efficiency and speedy action, but conscience, foresight, and expertise as well.
Metz Fresh LLC of King City, CA—distributor of fresh, bagged spinach—showed evidence of all these attributes last week, when, in response to the salmonella test results, it used its tracking system to recall the contaminated spinach before it reached a plate. At least, none have been reported so far. In spite of this, Metz Fresh () went the extra mile to allay its customers’ concerns, by providing an information hotline—(831) 386-1018. When we called, the hotline was manned by a well-informed person (not a recording), who answered all our questions. He also attributed Metz Fresh’s ability to recall shipments quickly, to its efficient tracking system, which can instantly locate every shipment, box and bag the company had distributed.
Metz Fresh recalled its 10- and 16-ounce bags, 4-pound cartons and cartons containing four 2 ½ -pound bags. Look for the tracking codes: 12208114, 12208214 and 12208314.
