I get many emails and newsletter and today’s inbox brought me a very interesting information piece about Organic Recalls I would like to share with you. It comes from the Specialty Food News. It’s an ‘insider’ Newsletter for people in the Food Industry.
Personally, I have always thought that because food isn’t purchased quickly and there’s only so much of a shelf life, that we need to be very careful as we pick what we purchase.
And again, it’s just a concept that really with all food there are always going to be a certain amount of recalls.
I guess because things are Organic, I would assume there would not be recalls, since the people packaging are ‘mindful’ as they do it.
Just as I have always said: sugar is sugar is sugar…. when someone says “but it’s cane sugar”, is the same here. Food is food is food. If there are recalls for food, why shouldn’t there be recalls for Organic Food? Silly me!
And I guess the real question I need to delve into is: Why are there recalls. (Inquiring minds want to know). A blog for next week!
Here ya go!
Happy Eating,
There has been a sharp increase in the number of recalls of organic food, according to data collected by consulting firm Stericycle. Organic foods accounted for 7 percent of all units recalled so far in 2015, compared to just 2 percent recalled last year. In 2012 and 2013, only 1 percent of total units of food recalled were organic, according to the company’s report, which relies on data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kevin Pollack, vice president of Stericycle, says growing consumer and corporate demand for organic ingredients was partially responsible for the spike in recalls. Notably, the recalls have been driven by bacterial contamination, including salmonella, listeria, and hepatitis A, rather than mislabeled products. Stericycle predicts a 24 percent increase in the number of food units recalled by the FDA this year.
However, the Organic Trade Association disputes Stericycle’s findings, saying that organic products account for 4.9 percent of recalls, which is in line with the percentage of organic food sold compared to total retail sales of food. Stericycle counts every unit affected, while the trade association says it was really just one large recall, reported the New York Times.