2008 Woodie Awards
Tech officials prepared for potential food recalls
Kelsey Fletcher
Issue date: 8/25/08 Section: News
Five years ago, if Texas Tech students were asked what tomatoes and peanut butter had in common, most would be puzzled.
Now, these foods are associated with danger and contamination. The recent absence of these items in all Lubbock area grocery stores and Tech dining halls due to salmonella scares and subsequent FDA recalls.
These two products were not the only items affected. Since October 2006, the Food and Drug Administration has issued more than 500 warnings and recalls.
Of these, only five were broad and general enough to affect the Tech Campus. On Sept. 14, the first notification of a serious foodborne E.Coli outbreak was issued through the FDA, according to the FDA's Web site.
After that initial notification, there were more than six additional recalls spanning spinach farms across the entire country. All over the country and Lubbock, spinach was removed from store shelves until its status could be verified. At Tech, spinach was absent from the menu longer than any food had ever been before, said James Kainer, the manager of purchasing and menu development.
Hospitality Services employees kept the spinach out of the cafeterias until they were absolutely positive there would be no contamination Â- to the extent that students began inquiring as to when the spinach would return, Kainer said.
"But ultimately, the students were glad that we had acted in their best interests," he said.
Not long after the country had finally recovered from the spinach recall, on Feb. 14, 2007, all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter containing certain product numbers were recalled and news broadcasts urged customers to discard tainted peanut butter immediately, according to the FDA Web site. Tech Hospitality had actually purchased some of the peanut butter in question, but "completely switched to a different brand permanently because of the recall," Kainer said.
During summer, various foods have fallen prey to FDA recalls due to salmonella outbreaks, including raw red plum tomatoes, red Roma, red round tomatoes, jalapenos, Serrano peppers and avocados.
Due to fast-acting workers on Tech campus, Kainer said no student fell ill from contaminated products.
Kainer said the university does everything it can to keep the student body safe.
"We work through reputable suppliers, primarily US Food Service," said Kainer. "If anyone issues any kind of warning, our suppliers notify us immediately. They can track every single case back to the farm it was produced ... If we have the product in question, we will pull them completely off our shelves and discard them."
The hospitality department works closely with a campus health inspector who is kept up to date of the latest warnings and recalls.
"If something is even questionable," Kainer said. "we'll pull the product temporarily until we know if it's safe or not."
Students concerned about food safety information can visit the Tech's Hospitality Services Web site for more information.
Now, these foods are associated with danger and contamination. The recent absence of these items in all Lubbock area grocery stores and Tech dining halls due to salmonella scares and subsequent FDA recalls.
These two products were not the only items affected. Since October 2006, the Food and Drug Administration has issued more than 500 warnings and recalls.
Of these, only five were broad and general enough to affect the Tech Campus. On Sept. 14, the first notification of a serious foodborne E.Coli outbreak was issued through the FDA, according to the FDA's Web site.
After that initial notification, there were more than six additional recalls spanning spinach farms across the entire country. All over the country and Lubbock, spinach was removed from store shelves until its status could be verified. At Tech, spinach was absent from the menu longer than any food had ever been before, said James Kainer, the manager of purchasing and menu development.
Hospitality Services employees kept the spinach out of the cafeterias until they were absolutely positive there would be no contamination Â- to the extent that students began inquiring as to when the spinach would return, Kainer said.
"But ultimately, the students were glad that we had acted in their best interests," he said.
Not long after the country had finally recovered from the spinach recall, on Feb. 14, 2007, all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter containing certain product numbers were recalled and news broadcasts urged customers to discard tainted peanut butter immediately, according to the FDA Web site. Tech Hospitality had actually purchased some of the peanut butter in question, but "completely switched to a different brand permanently because of the recall," Kainer said.
During summer, various foods have fallen prey to FDA recalls due to salmonella outbreaks, including raw red plum tomatoes, red Roma, red round tomatoes, jalapenos, Serrano peppers and avocados.
Due to fast-acting workers on Tech campus, Kainer said no student fell ill from contaminated products.
Kainer said the university does everything it can to keep the student body safe.
"We work through reputable suppliers, primarily US Food Service," said Kainer. "If anyone issues any kind of warning, our suppliers notify us immediately. They can track every single case back to the farm it was produced ... If we have the product in question, we will pull them completely off our shelves and discard them."
The hospitality department works closely with a campus health inspector who is kept up to date of the latest warnings and recalls.
"If something is even questionable," Kainer said. "we'll pull the product temporarily until we know if it's safe or not."
Students concerned about food safety information can visit the Tech's Hospitality Services Web site for more information.
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