Total Recall

It seems like often times in the news we hear about recalls and certain foods from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). We try and try to eat things that are good for us then we find out that there is some kind of salmonella or something contamination on the what we thought was healthy food that we are trying to consume. Guess what there is a new recall and it is on parsley and cilantro this time.

Let's recap shall we on the recalls that have occured in the last few years. Now I don't necessarily remember the exact order in which the food was recalled, but I do remember it happening. The first thing that I remember was the peanut butter recall. This one wasn't such a big deal in terms of health for people trying to be fit because peanut butter is jam packed with calories, but how many children consume peanut butter and jelly sandwiches daily? Big scare for people with children. Not to mention that I'm sure that this would be torture on one of my friends who is on OU's rowing team because that girl trains so hard all the time that peanut butter is definitely part of her diet for protein purposes.

After the peanut butter I remember tomatoes being recalled which was horrible to think of for me because I love me some tomatoes. I can eat those things like an apple. I simply slice them up, throw on some salt and pepper and I have a wonderful mid day snack. Then it was spinach. This was horrible to hear about. I for one love spinach. When I go to Subway for example I always have them put spinach on my sandwich instead of lettuce if they offer it. Also if I go to a salad bar and I see that they have romain lettuce or spinach I use that instead of iceberg too. Not just because they contain vitamins, but because they just taste better. Another reason I think is more of an aesthetic, but to me a salad should be bright green, not white.

Now we come to today's headlines and I see that parsley and cilantro is big in the news for a recall. According to the Associated Press (AP) a produce company out of Edinburg, Texas called J&D produce has confirmed a positive test for salmonella on curly parsley in Quebec and on cilantro in Detroit. The voluntary recall is on items packed on Nov. 30 and Dec. 6 (scary because that means they've probably been on shelves for a while now). There is more produce that runs on the same packaging lines and those items include the following: arugula, leek, collards, curly mustard, gold beet, kale, green swiss chard, plain mustard, plain parsley, kohlarbi, rainbow swiss chard, mint, methileaf, beets, daikon, red swiss chard, turnip greens and dill.

All of these products were packaged by the Little Bear brand and if you are a consumer with questions regarding this please feel free to call 1-956-380-0353. That company is open and available to take calls from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

It's scary that things like this happen all the time, but the news speaks for it self. One way to avoid this is to purchase your produce from organically grown farmers markets for example. It may be a little less convenient or a little more pricey, but face it all fresh produce is a littel on the expensive side. Plus you and your families health may be on the line and of course this is one of the things that should be on the top of your priority list to protect.

If you have any comments or questions regarding today's post, please let me know. Also if I missed any of the recall's from the past that you know of or that affected you please feel free to share your story with me. I always love to hear what you have to say. I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful day and that you are prepairing for an amazing new years! It will be here sooner than you know!