The Whole Deal Behind the Whole Foods Recall
Whole Foods recalled ground beef from its stores on August 8th after learning that seven people who had purchased ground beef from the company became sick with E. coli 0157:H7. The meat was from Coleman Natural Foods, which Whole Foods didn't know was getting some of its meat processed at Nebraska Beef, a company that has a long history of safety violations.
Whole Foods proudly asserts that it is “highly selective about what [it] sell[s], dedicated to stringent Quality Standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture.” Consumers have responded to these promises of quality, as the chain has experienced tremendous growth in the last couple of years. Which is why so many consumers, who choose to pay more at Whole Foods based on its promises of quality, were troubled to find out that that the company had to recall ground beef from its stores on August 8th.
The decision to pull the beef from the stores was made after learning that seven people infected with E. coli 0157:H7 had recently purchased ground beef from Whole Foods. How did this happen given the market’s commitment to safety and health? In all fairness, it wasn’t entirely Whole Foods’ fault. The meat was from Coleman Natural Foods, which produces natural and organic products that are supposed to meet the high standards at Whole Foods. However, what Whole Foods didn’t know is that Coleman was getting some of its meat processed at Nebraska Beef, a company that has a long history of safety violations.
In the past two months alone, E. coli contamination has led to two large recalls from Nebraska Beef. Last month, over 5 million pounds of ground beef were recalled, and this month’s recall totals 1.2 million pounds. Sadly, these types of problems are nothing new. Back in 2003, USDA tried to shut down the plant, citing unsanitary conditions. But Nebraska Beef filed a lawsuit and USDA backed down, agreeing to simply increase monitoring. However, since then there have been numerous food borne illness outbreaks traced to the company, including these most recent two, which show that whatever system is in place to regulate contaminants is inadequate.
The fact that Whole Foods didn’t know that it was selling meat processed by Nebraska Beef undercuts the claims about their stringent standards.
Whole Foods should be responsible for knowing where the products they sell were processed and making sure they buy from plants with good food safety practices. And the USDA needs to crack down on plants with repeated food safety problems.
Let’s hope that Whole Foods learned a lesson about checking out their suppliers. And in the meantime, remember that there are lots of places you can find healthy and sustainable food. Check out the Eat Well Guide to find them.
