Many people all across the nation have heard plenty about food quality, safety, and production in a global effort to make people more aware of where their food is coming from and what’s inside of it.
Due to the increasing attention that has been given to food, many restaurants and kitchens are having to be held to higher standards to ensure that the food they are preparing is safe, free of contaminants, and that the kitchen passes health code.
Many restaurants and kitchens do not pass code which causes them to be shut down until they get their act together, but most of these places are small singular locations that are often times just ill educated on the topic.
In a sudden sweep that was expected by nobody, the FDA slammed the high end popular grocery and food chain Whole Foods for deplorable conditions that they found inside of their kitchens, specifically the kitchen in the Whole Foods located in Everett, Massachusetts.
Some of the descriptions of what the FDA found inside of the Whole Food’s kitchen space will make some people cringe, and turn them away from their prepared meals for time to come.
One of the most concerning things that was found was evidence of the germ Listeria on the walls, which is so serious that it causes some companies to completely halt production and distribution if even trace amounts is found in their food.
Just recently, millions of dollars worth of sunflower seeds were recalled due to potential evidence of a Listeria contamination.
In addition, dishes that would be served ready to eat such as pesto pasta, vegetables, cous cous, quesadillas, salads, and even a variety of meats were left completely open under dripping pipes which contained a whole other slew of contamination.
The FDA first spoke to Whole Foods about their violations back in February, to which Whole Foods had a reply ready by March. Their reply was not good enough though, and the FDA was not satisfied with what Whole Foods had changed.
They sent another letter received on June 8 which gave them 15 days to say what the company has done to completely correct their violations.
Whole Foods crafted their response saying, “The thorough and tangible steps that were taken in the North Atlantic Kitchen to address each of these points were not reflected in the FDA’s follow-up letter, and we have contacted them to discuss the matter”.
Whole Foods has been getting slammed by other competitors who are now offering other organic and wholesome offerings at their stores, and in fact the entire chain has reported a 3% loss in sales at established stores, which signifies the third straight quarterly decline.
If Whole Foods wants to compete on a national scale with the rest of the food business, they need to step up their game and shape up because allegations like this from the FDA certainly do not help one bit.
Do you think Whole Foods should be punished further for their food conditions? Let us know in the comments below.
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