Chicken Feed Linked To Salmonella In Egg Recall

In late August, federal investigators found evidence of salmonella in some chicken feed that were used at two Iowa egg farms, Wright Country Egg and Hillandale Farms. As of late August, more than 550 million of the eggs from the two farms were recalled. The Federal Food and Drug Administration investigation is ongoing but investigators do not yet know how the feed became contaminated.
The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Aug. 26 that there are as many as 1, 470 illnesses linked to the outbreak.
The recall which affects eggs shipped since May 16 were primarily sent to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. A Congressional hearing will be held on the recall Sept. 14. The owners of Wright Country Egg and Hillandale Farms will be called to testify. The Congressional panel has written to both farms, asking about company operations and communications.
The seriousness of the egg recall caused FDA Chief Margaret Hamburg to urge Congress to pass pending legislation that would provide the FDA with enhanced enforcement power including authority over imported food. The salmonella case has raised questions about the federal inspection process at egg farms. Curently, the FDA oversees inspections of shell eggs while the U.S Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) supervises the inspection of other egg products. The egg rule, which just went into effect for large farms on July 9, provides specific requirements applicable to egg producers.

Two Leaders To Receive OTA’s Highest Honor

The Organic Trade Association has selected Theresa Marquez of Organic Valley and Bob Quinn of Kamut Int’l. to receive its prestigious Organic Leadership Awards for 2010.
"Theresa Marquez and Bob Quinn have shown outstanding initiative and devotion to organic, and their contributions clearly demonstrate how organic enterprises and agriculture can thrive and make a difference to consumers, farmers and to our planet," said OTA's Executive Director Christine Bushway.
Ms. Marquez, chief marketing executive of Organic Valley, will receive the OTA Organic Leadership Award in the "Growing the Organic Industry" category, while Mr. Quinn, president of Kamut Int’l., will receive the award in the "Growing Organic Agriculture" category.
The 2010 Organic Leadership Award recipients will be honored at the OTA Annual Dinner and Dance on Friday, Oct. 15, during OTA Member Days activities at Natural Products Expo East in Boston.

TOMRA, A&P & Pepperidge Farm Team Up On Coupon Plan

TOMRA of North America, A&P, and Pepperidge Farm have launched a month-long joint coupon program using in-store TOMRA recycling machines as a coupon delivery platform.  The program will take place at 175 supermarkets across the New York metro area.
Participating stores include A&P, Pathmark, and Waldbaums. Consumers returning their aluminum, plastic or glass beverage containers to a TOMRA reverse vending machine (RVM) will receive a coupon for a free America’s Choice 2-liter bottle of soda when they purchase two packages of Pepperidge Farm hamburger or hot dog rolls, in addition to their deposit refund. The co-branded promotion runs at 160 stores in New York and 15 stores in Connecticut.
The program is part of a new promotional approach called “Redemption Marketing,” to leverage TOMRA’s recycling machines as a coupon delivery and graphic messaging platform. The focus is on “starting-point” couponing – delivered early in the shopping visit at the RVM – to drive customers to the shelf.

Latest Word in New Channels…

• Cargill Meat Solutions of Wyalusing, Pa, recalled nearly 8,500 pounds of ground beef products last weekend that may be contaminated with E. coli that were shipped to club stores including BJ’s Wholesale Club. The products subject to recall have the establishment number “EST 9400” were produced on June 11 and were shipped to distribution centers in Connecticut and Maryland for further shipment after repackaging. The label on the packages would read Ground Beef Fine, 90/10 with a freeze by date of July 1 and an identifying product code of W 69032. A cluster of illnesses were reported in Maine and New York, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

• Stew Leonard’s will begin offering on-site physicals for team members at its Danbury, Conn. store. The company is also sponsoring on-site cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, mammograms, and flu shots and discounts on weight loss programs, smoking cessation aids and fitness center memberships.

• McCormick and Co. named Valentin Ramirez, a former Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. executive to head its Hispanic food business.

• Seven Boston area Whole Foods Market locations have launched a drive to help feed children who depend on The Greater Boston Food Bank for weekend, holidays and school vacation meals. Customers at these stores can purchase healthy, “kid-friendly" foods at $9.99 per bag to support the food bank’s Backpack Program.

• Discount retailer Dollar General Corp. has begun selling beer and wine in some of its stores in the Southeast.

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