Comments on: U.S. Peppers Get the Okay

By: Paige Brady

Paige Brady — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:11:59 +0000

Hey, Joy. The FDA says they are still investigating the cause of the outbreak, so we don’t know yet. They are saying that there is no differentiation between conventional or organic, local or imported. Hopefully we’ll all know more soon. Thanks.

By: Paige Brady

Paige Brady — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:49:07 +0000

Thanks, Barbara. The FDA website shows some specific counties in Florida that have been cleared:

“Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)”

I don’t know if there are other counties in Florida that have commercial tomato production.

Just posted an update on this post with a few other states that have been added to the “cleared” list — Massachusetts, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

By: Barbara Audibert

Barbara Audibert — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:43:02 +0000

Just a heads up, Florida has also been cleared for sale of tomatoes. No salmonella was found in Florida tomatoes.

By: Joy

Joy — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:53:38 +0000

Does anyone know what is causing the salmonella outbreak with the tomatoes? Let’s hope it’s not like the spinach salmonella outbreak caused by animal waste contaminating the water supply. Also, is this just for conventional or also organic tomatoes?

By: dan

dan — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:37:19 +0000

Cattie

Long Wind Farms out of vermont is a good choice for a tomato.. During this recall.. another is the cluster tomatoes from maine or the American hydro tomatoes… Thank you for shoping in my produce department at Cambridge…

Dan

By: Paige Brady

Paige Brady — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:03:15 +0000

Okay, me again. Found out that the FDA released new info last night saying that tomatoes from the following locations are not associated with the outbreak California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico. So our stores will be offering any tomatoes we have from these growing regions. Thanks!

By: Paige Brady

Paige Brady — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:46:23 +0000

John, thanks for the heads up. I alerted our produce team so they can check into it. The tomatoes with stems attached are fine, so you should be good. Whole Foods Market has decided to go beyond the CDC alert area in the interest of abundant caution. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

By: John Nagle

John Nagle — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:14:07 +0000

I just bought some tomatoes (with stems attached) today at the Whole Foods store in Redwood City, CA. I called the store, and they said they’re “outside the region” for the recall.

They still had Roma tomatoes on display as of 4 PM today.

By: Paige Brady

Paige Brady — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:08:55 +0000

Hey Bruce. What a frustrating experience – definitely not the level of service we strive to meet. I checked with leadership in the region and they confirmed that there was confusion between various teams as we implemented the tomato removal policy. We’re sorry you got caught in the middle when all you wanted was a great sandwich for lunch! We were being quite cautious until the FDA released more information about the source of the tomato problem. The info from last night has enabled us to provide tomatoes from several states and your store confirms a good supply of tomatoes in the deli again. (And, yes, the deli could have take tomatoes from produce.) Watch for an email from the store, inviting you back in for a sandwich – with tomatoes! – on the house.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:07:49 +0000

I’m a fairly new WF shopper in San Ramon, CA and have enjoyed Whole Food’s Farmers Market sandwich (from the deli). It has (until today!) had lots of yummy tomatoes, basil, leafy greens mozzorella and a vinigrette dressing — on foccaccia bread. So imagine my surprise when (upon placing my order) I was told they had NO TOMATOES because of the recall! Well, the fresh produce dept had organic heirloom tomatoes. And even the deli had salads containing cherry tomatoes.

So, after getting my sandwich (with substituted bell peppers), I asked customer service what’s the story. They didn’t have one, other than the deli uses a lot of conventional produce. When I asked why they couldn’t carry some organic tomatoes to the deli dept, I got a blank stare. Then she said something about they’re being separate departments (with an “isn’t that obvious?” look).

WOW, sounds like something I’d expect to here at … SAFEWAY! And add to the fact that I reside in the state where most of the nation’s tomatoes are grown (excluded from the recall, by the way), I am really confused about Whole Foods supposed commitment to support local, sustainable farmers. I go to many local farmers markets in the area AND THEY ALL HAVE FRESH TOMOTOES.

What’s up, Whole Foods?

–Bruce