Gourmet doesn’t always mean safe

When it comes to tainted food, bacteria does not discriminate. You may think you are purchasing safer food if you go to a gourmet market or one that specializes in organic or specialty foods, but you might be mistaken. In fact, nationwide market Whole Foods recently announced a recall of seven cheddar cheeses made by Bravo Farms of California. Bravo Farms makes raw milk cheese and issued the recall when the bacteria listeria was discovered at its factory. This cheddar recall comes on the heels of a gouda recall at the beginning of November. The gouda, which was found to have E. coli, was distributed at various Costco stores and sickened about 38 people. For more information, see this article from the LA Times.

Gourmet cheddar cheese is not the only culprit, however. Organic dark chocolate under the brand name Dagoba and made by Artisan Confections Company was recently recalled when several dozen cases of Dagoba Organic Chocolate New Moon squares were found to contain salmonella. Though there have been no reported sicknesses as a result of consuming the New Moon squares, Artisan issued a voluntary recall. You can find more information about the recall here.

Be safe!