A Kamloops-based salsa company is responding after several of its products were pulled from shelves in relation to an ongoing salmonella outbreak linked to U.S.-grown onions.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) expanded its already massive recall of U.S. onions to include seven varieties of salsa from Fresh is Best Salsa & Co. In a release, the small B.C. business said its staff immediately notified distributors and customers following the recall, discarded any potentially affected products and is now using a different source for onions.
“Our customers’ health and safety is always our first concern,” said Fresh is Best owners Colin and Lisa McGaffin in the release. “We have an elaborate tracking system so we could immediately identify by batch [numbers] and best before dates which products might be affected."
Anyone who purchased Fresh is Best salsa is urged to check the recall list to determine whether that specific product is included. According to the company, any salsa with a best before date of Oct. 6 or later is considered safe to consume and enjoy.
Fresh is Best said it traced the recalled onions to specific date codes associated with the following salsas: Mild Fresh, Medium Fresh, Hot Fresh, Extra Hot Fresh, Salsa Fresca, Savory Southwestern Black Bean and Corn, and Tropical Fruit Salsa.
All of these items are distributed in B.C., with the savory, medium, and mild products also available in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. While no illnesses have been linked to the salsas to date, according to the release, "any items on the CFIA’s onion recall list should be discarded due to potential contamination with salmonella."
While all of the company's produce is sourced through BC suppliers, explained Lisa Graham-McGaffin, “In this particular situation we needed more onions than our supplier had in stock forcing us to use an alternate distributor. This is a standard process used to secure the high quality, properly graded produce that we need to make our fresh salsa."
Fresh is Best salsas each contain 12 fresh chopped herbs and vegetables, Graham-McGaffin added, "which makes it interesting at times to source with the short supply, limited growing season as well as the inability to grow certain crops at all here in Canada. In this case, the onions that we received happened to be the ones that were recalled.”
The Kamloops company is offering a coupon for any customer forced to throw away a salsa included on the recall list, in the event the store the customer purchased the salsa does not provide a reimbursement.
“This has been such a difficult year for everyone,” added Colin McGaffin in the release. “Our customers have been so supportive because they know the pride and care we take in making our fresh products. Our focus on freshness, quality and food safety will always be our top priority.”
Fresh is Best is a popular locally-based business, with Mexican-inspired products like salsas, guacamole, hot sauces, bean dips and taco shells available on most grocery shelves across the province. The company's tortilla chips also had their 15 minutes of fame a couple of years back, appearing on the silver screen in the background of an episode of the Big Bang Theory. The company also has its own storefront location in Vancouver, on West Broadway.
As of Aug. 14, there have been 339 confirmed cases of salmonella across Canada in people who had eaten onions imported from the U.S.
