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Yes, we have no jalapenos

Print | Comments () Posted by Devra First July 24, 2008 03:39 PM

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Now that jalapenos are said to be the culprit in the recent salmonella outbreak, rather than tomatoes, we have a new food to freak out about.

Duly, the country's biggest traditional grocery chain, Kroger, has removed them from its stores. All of them. Even though none of its jalapenos came from Agricola Zaragoza, the Texas distributor whose jalapeno supply included one pepper contaminated with salmonella.

But we look so innocent!

From Kroger's point of view, better safe than sorry. From the jalapeno farmers' point of view, though, this must feel like rather unfair targeting. The tomato industry reportedly lost more than $100 million due to the salmonella outbreak. Of course the finding of salmonella must be taken seriously, but one little jalapeno will mean big losses for many. And removing all jalapenos removes consumer choice -- at those stores, there's no decision for shoppers to make; it's been made for them. (Though they can choose to shop elsewhere.)

Where do you fall on the better-safe-than-sorry vs. consumer-choice-above-all spectrum? Should it be up to grocery stores to protect their shoppers, or does change need to come from higher up the food chain -- the FDA, CDC, Congress? Or should we all just go off the grid and start growing our own vegetables?

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1 comments so far...

As a culinary professional and one who enjoys jalapenos in some foods, I think it should entirely be up to the consumer if they choose to buy and consume jalapenos and other potentially hazardous food products.

A simple warning next to such produce should suffice to warn the general population and let them choose for themselves. We put them on the menus next to potentially hazardous foods that we serve in restaurants... why not the grocery stores?

Educate the consumer, don't make them ignorant and take away their choices!

Posted by Travis Royer July 24, 08 07:13 PM

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