"dillydally" > wrote in message
...
> REMEMBER Several Years Ago When a Rumor Had It That FOOD LION
> Routinely BLEACHED Its MEAT? To Make it Look Okay, Not Spoiled?
>
>
>
>
> Whether or not the rumor had any factual basis, it seemed to dampen
> Food Lion's meat sales. It's possible the company changed most if
> not all its stores to "BLOOM" just to get the Food Lion image out of
> the public eye.
>
> Well now Whole Foods might have its own lingering "meat problem." Is
> a name change in the works?
>
> ----------------------------
> "Grocer Works to Repair Its Image"
>
> "Whole Foods Tightens Inspection Rules After Beef Recall"
>
> By Ylan Q. Mui and Annys Shin
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Tuesday, August 12, 2008; D01
>
>
>
> Whole Foods said yesterday that it is inspecting all shipments of meat
> and tightening its guidelines for suppliers following last week's
> recall of two months' worth of ground beef that potentially was
> contaminated with E. coli.
>
> The moves were part of the company's efforts to restore confidence in
> its products. The upscale grocer rose from a single store in Austin to
> a $6.6 billion company over the past three decades by betting on a
> singular corporate philosophy and business strategy: Shoppers are
> willing to pay more for natural and organic products. And with those
> high prices come high expectations.
>
> "We're quite upset as well. This is not how we have our protocol set
> up with our producers," said Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods global
> vice president for quality standards. "We already have very tight
> standards."
>
> Whole Foods recalled ground beef on Friday that was sold between June
> 2 and August 6 after seven people in Massachusetts and two in
> Pennsylvania who shopped at its stores were infected by E. coli.
> Wittenberg said employees at distribution centers are now checking
> labels on all meat shipments to insure that it comes from approved
> processors. It is also requiring processors to inspect each box of
> shipped meat for contaminants, a previously unwritten expectation, the
> company said.
>
> The recalled meat was linked to Omaha meatpacker Nebraska Beef, which
> has recalled 6.5 million pounds of meat since July and has a long
> history of safety, health and labor violations. Whole Foods
> spokeswoman Libba Letton said one of its suppliers, Coleman Natural
> Beef, was seeking to work with Nebraska Beef following its sale to
> Meyer Natural Angus in June.
>
> Whole Foods said it had received assurances that none of its meat had
> been processed by Nebraska Beef. One of Whole Foods' buyers had
> visited Nebraska Beef's facilities, but the processor had not been
> approved when the recall occurred last week. Meyer Natural Angus did
> not return phone calls yesterday.
>
> "They're kind of a victim of their own success," Mark Kastel, co-
> founder of the Cornucopia Institute, which promotes sustainable and
> organic agriculture, said of Whole Foods.
>
> "They have to deal with large-scale suppliers. The infrastructure of
> that supply mechanism has the same potential for contamination as
> conventional meat."
>
> Whole Foods sets a high bar, positioning itself as more socially
> conscious than its competitors. It caps top executives' pay at 19
> times the average worker pay while chief executive John Mackey gets
> just $1 a year. It has been a leader in retailers' green movement,
> recently tightening its policies on farmed seafood, for example. Its
> hormone-free meats, antibiotic-free seafood and pesticide-free produce
> attract throngs of affluent shoppers.
>
> But those customers are often demanding. The company has been
> criticized for not stocking only organic produce and even for carrying
> sugar on its shelves. Mackey has famously defended the company as
> Whole Foods -- not holy foods.
>
> "This is a big blow to their reputation, obviously," said Gene
> Grabowski, chair of the crisis and litigation practice at Levick
> Strategic Communications. "We tend to look at Whole Foods not only as
> more nutritious but also safer, and we're willing to pay a premium for
> that."
>
> Whole Foods' Letton said the recalled beef was labeled as natural,
> which means it is free of artificial flavors and coloring but does not
> meet the more rigorous U.S. Department of Agriculture standards for
> organic. The company additionally prohibits meat suppliers from using
> growth hormones or antibiotics, among other requirements.
>
> Although the company's stock dipped slightly Friday, yesterday it
> rebounded, rising 5.8 percent to $19.73.
>
> Organic and conventional meat products are often processed in the same
> facility. USDA regulations stipulate that steps must be taken to
> prevent the commingling of organic and conventional product such as
> cleaning equipment.
>
> "Organic doesn't address food safety or nutrition," said Joan
> Schaffer, spokeswoman for USDA's National Organic Program.
>
> Ronnie Cummins, national director of the advocacy group Organic
> Consumers Association, said he is not overly concerned by the Whole
> Foods recall because it was an isolated incident. The company said it
> believes this is its first ground beef recall due to E.coli.
>
> "I must say I'm not surprised to see a single incident," Cummins said.
> "If it became a regular occurrence like it is with conventional beef,
> I think we'd be extremely concerned."
>
> Grabowski, who has handled public relations during large recalls for
> other companies, said Whole Foods must be transparent with its
> customers in order to repair its image but also suggested that
> shoppers temper their expectations.
>
> "From time to time, no matter what you do, there will be some
> incidents that arise," Grabowski said. "We do not live in a risk-free
> world."
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081102934.html

And all this from a company that stopped selling lobsters because they
claimed that they weren't being treated 'humanely'.