US: Kroger pulls lettuce from several states
None of the lettuce in the markets has tested positive for salmonella but the grower alerted retailers of the test results and sought a withdrawal of the product "out of an abundance of caution."
"There's no evidence of contamination on any product whatsoever," Jamie Strachan, CEO of Salinas, Calif.-based Growers Express, told The Associated Press on Friday.
Still, The Kroger Co. and its affiliated grocery chain, Smith's Food and Drug, decided to pull the product from 200 stores in at least seven states, including Virginia, West Virginia, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada, Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey said.
Kroger issued a statement saying none of the stores in the Heart of Carolina are affected by this recall.
"Reports are stating that the lettuce had been distributed at all Kroger stores nationally; however, local Kroger stores NEVER received the shipment. The effected lettuce was identified at the warehouse, isolated and destroyed on Friday December 30. Kroger stores in Apex, Cary, Durham, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, and Raleigh are not affected by this voluntary recall."
Dailey called it a cautionary move prompted by a notice from the grower.
Strachan stressed that none of his company's product has tested positive for salmonella, and that crops growing in the adjacent field south of Phoenix were destroyed. He would not say who owned the tainted property.
Strachan also declined to say what other grocery store chains in the country might also have some of the lettuce the company has sought to remove from shelves. He said it could be up to 1,000 heads.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we withdrew our product out of market," Strachan said. "We're just being cautious."
He said the company, which also supplies product to Green Giant, hadn't been ordered to issue any official recall, and has alerted regulatory authorities.
"We're being very conservative, and we want to do the right thing, but we're not being asked to do that by any health authorities," Strachan said.
No illnesses have been reported.
California Department of Public Health spokeswoman Anita Gore
said Friday that Growers Express had not told authorities about any actions they took surrounding the lettuce.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also did not respond to requests for comment.
"They're pulling the lettuce to be on the safe side, but there's no official recall," Utah Department of Agriculture and Food spokesman Larry Lewis said.
Source: abclocal.go.com
