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| Sign on Kroger Deli Case @ Tiger Town Location, Opelika, AL |
I have apparently stepped on
Kroger’s contaminated toes.
On July 6, 2012, I posted a picture of the sign on
the deli display case warning that all products in that case “may have come in
contact with” and went on to list all eight of the recognized allergens. The
sign is prominently displayed in several places on all the deli cases and the
fresh meat cases at the Kroger located in the Tiger
Town shopping center in Opelika. The signs warn
that all the products in the case may be contaminated with one or more of the
allergens. This means that Kroger does not control what comes into contact with
what in the cases. This is scary, because many of the items are raw meats,
including chicken and fish.
Granted, I do not know about
Kroger deli and meat counters at other locations, but I do know about the one
where I shop. We take the signs seriously and believe them when they say they
do not know what is going on in their cases (and by inference on their slicers
as well). Heeding those signs, we cannot purchase any meat from those counters
in Kroger at the Tiger
Town location.
Today, I was going through
my inbox box after a long and emotional weekend, but that is another story. I ran
across a less than flattering email from a person going by the name on Blogger
as B Nutty. When I looked this person up, there wasn’t a single post, no
picture and no profile, and here is the part I love—they have only been on
Blogger since September 2012 and today is on September 4th. The
wording was much in the tone of a man.
Humm, just who could this
possibly be? Obviously, someone who does not want to be identified for sure. A
coward who stands behind a bogus account to send me an email about a post I put
up about two months ago. Sounds like a Kroger employee to me. And, that is a good
thing! I may have finally gotten their attention.
But, let’s don’t get side
tracked from the mission here, which is to call attention to seriousness of
cross contamination in a store, any store, of a product, in this case Boar’s
Head products, which are all guaranteed to be gluten free. Publix groceries, in
contrast to Kroger, has dedicated Boar’s Head deli cases and uses dedicated
equipment, thereby insuring the integrity and safety of this particular
product. Guess where we buy our sandwich meat? You got it—Publix.
This is just the tip of the
proverbial iceberg. Cross contamination, whether in the manufacturing facility
or at the point of sale in the store, is a very real threat to all eating a
mandated gluten free diet. The companies responsible really don’t seem to care
if someone gets sick on their watch. Neither anyone in management nor their
employees are the ones to get sick; those who are Celiac or severely gluten
intolerant do!
So, what can we do to help
stop this practice? Here is a short list that anyone with a computer, and if
you are reading this you certainly have the power to help, can do:
- Send emails to companies like Kroger,
complaining about their cross contamination and ask them to dedicate
equipment and cases to be free of ANY cross contamination.
- Send an e-mail to companies, such as Boar’s
Head, who are doing their best to provide gluten products only to have the
gluten free integrity of their products compromised at the store.
- Report such practices to your local health
departments. They may not be able to change company policy, but the store
will be put on notice they are being watched.
- Go to http://www.fda.gov/
and voice your concerns/complaints about (a) a specific problem of cross
contamination or failure of a company to properly identify possible
contact with the eight recognized allergens, (b) ask for stiffer food
allergen labeling laws to include GLUTEN as a recognized allergen and (c)
stiffer penalties for companies who do not comply.
- Go to http://www.senate.gov/,
click on the “Contact Your Senator” link to (a) ask specifically for
stricter labeling laws to include GLUTEN and (b) stiffer penalties for
companies who do not comply.
- Go to http://www.house.gov/,
put your zip code in the link to “Find Your Representative” to (a) ask
specifically for stricter labeling laws to include GLUTEN and (b) stiffer
penalties for companies who do not comply.
There is an old proverb that
goes something like this: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, it is
going to take the entire gluten free community to change food allergen labeling
laws and company penalties for non-compliance. Together, we can make a
difference and make our voices heard to keep our loved ones safe.
To B Nutty, I say thanks for
reminding me to keep Kroger’s practices in front of the people who can make
your company change its practices. Without your email, I might not have
revisited this subject for a few months. Thanks B Nutty for inspiring me and
refueling my fire!
Author: Dr. Jacquelyn P. Horne
Copyright: 2012
