February 11, 2009
Peanut Recalls: What happens when a food bank staple is pulled from the shelves
Peanuts have caused quite a stir among food banks and food distribution organizations throughout the entire nation. Who would have thought that a little nut could be the root of hundreds of food recalls? At Food Lifeline, we are prepared for situations like this, however, and we work hard to ensure that no recalled product or potentially harmful food item makes it into the distribution stream and into the hands of clients at our food banks and meal programs.
Food Lifeline stays connected with the FDA and USDA getting regular updates on food safety, and continues to receive up-to-the-minute national updates regarding the peanut product recall. We run all of our donated food through an inventory tracking system, which makes it very easy to identify any potentially harmful food in our inventory.
Currently, we have isolated more than 1500 pounds of food containing peanut ingredients that have not specifically been listed on the recall list, but we are holding back this product just in case this recall continues to expand. That’s 1500 pounds of food that hasn’t been able to make it into the homes of hungry people because of safety concerns. We have also tracked about 915 pounds of food that were specifically mentioned on recall notices, making sure it is destroyed so no one gets sick.
While it takes extra staff and volunteer time to sort through our inventory every time we get a new recall notice, our system is specifically set up to catch safety problems to make sure our food is safe. Because of instances like this, we need people to support us now more than ever. We need your help to work through this recall and to continue to provide food for your hungry neighbors who need it.