Garden Fresh Foods Stops Production
By Sam Lewis
Eight recalls since August are the catalyst of temporary shutdown
The Milwaukee Garden Fresh Foods plant has stopped all production and reassigned nearly 100 employees due to product recalls, the company stated on Saturday Nov. 16. Since the end of August, the company has recalled tons of food products in eight different recalls. The first recall occurred on Aug 30 after a routine sampling of retail food products performed by Michigan food safety officials found Listeria bacteria.
Included in the recalls were various vegetables and ready-to-eat sips, slaws, and spreads. In addition, 50 tons of ready-to-eat chicken and ham products became the subject of a late October recall at Garden Fresh Foods. Some of the brand names the products were sold under include: Garden Fresh, Grandpa’s, Weis, Finest Traditions, Archer Farms, Market Pantry, and D’Amico and Sons. “We are working tirelessly to resolve the current issue and will make any changes necessary to ensure we are in compliance with food safety regulations and our own exacting standards for high quality,” says Mary Roberts, a spokesperson for Garden Fresh Foods. The company doesn’t know how long the plant will be shut down as it attends to the recalls and contamination issues. The Milwaukee facility has reassigned its nearly 100 employees to other duties in the meantime.
“We are confident that we will be able to find the source of the issue and resume operations,” says Roberts. “However, we will not reopen until we are 100 percent satisfied that we can produce and maintain the safest, highest quality products possible.” As of writing, no illnesses have been linked to Garden Fresh Foods’ recalled products. However, Listeria monocytongenes can cause serious, even life-threatening infections. Symptoms of a Listeria infection include high fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Want to publish your opinion?
Contact us to become part of our Editorial Community.