Pre-cut melons still on the shelves or in your fridge, but how do you know if it was part of a recall?

Overview:

This time it’s a Salmonella outbreak linked to 93 people so far.¹ Caito Foods recently recalled pre-cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pre-cut fruit medley products containing one of these melons.

The CDC’s advice:

• If you cannot determine if pre-cut melon you purchased was produced by Caito Foods LLC, don’t eat it and throw it away.

• Check your fridge and freezer for recalled products and throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

As a consumer, you’ll be lucky if you see an article on this in your facebook feed warning you to check you fridge, but more likely than not, you’ll never know if that pre-cut melon that is sitting in your fridge right now is bad or not.

As a retailer, imagine all the work you have to do know to track all this stuff down. You need to pull product off the shelves or in the back and find the right containers with the right dates from the right distributor, etc.

What if there was a better way?

Consumer:

Imagine if while you were at the store, you could scan your produce with your mobile phone giving you all the details of where that product has been every step of the way from the field all the way to the moment you’re in the story scanning it. What if you could know right then and there if the product was safe to consume? Better yet, what if three days after you purchased the produce you received a push notification on your phone letting you know that the product has been recalled and that you should dispose of it immediately. Wouldn’t you feel better as a consumer knowing you could get instant alerts safeguarding your health against recalled products?

Retailer:

When a recall happens, wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly how much inventory is affected by the recall and where it is in your store so you can quickly and efficiently remove it from shelves?

These ‘better way’ scenarios are starting to happen with blockchain technology. RSM has developed a product called CLEARthru™ that is built on blockchain technology that provides traceability information on your products. While most blockchain solutions only go as far as the retailer, CLEARthru can solve those challenges faced by consumers.

To learn more about CLEARthru, visit www.rsmus.com/clearthru.

Let’s all take a step in the right direction to continue to promote food safety and advanced traceability in our food supply chain.

RSM is a member of Produce Marketing Association’s Gold Circle Campaign for Food Safety.²

By: Brent Knowles – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentknowles

Stores involved in the pre-cut melons Salmonella outbreak:

Kroger, Target, Trader Joes, Walmart, Amazon/Whole Foods, Caito Foods Distribution, Gordon Food Service, SpartanNash Distribution

States affected in the pre-cut melons Salmonella outbreak:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

References:

¹ – https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/carrau-04-19/index.html

² – https://www.pma.com/members/gold-circle/current-contributors

CLEARthru – https://rsmus.com/what-we-do/services/technology/clearthru.html

Brent Knowles