‘Recall fatigue’ could hit family meal

VANCOUVER • A string of high-profile produce recalls may lead to shortages of the most recent culprits ahead of the holidays. But, even if cauliflower and some lettuce varieties stay in stock, experts say consumers may be hesitant to buy and serve them as part of a big, family meal.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced over the weekend a recall of certain cauliflower and lettuce products produced by California-based Adam Bros. Farming Inc. that were distributed in at least six provinces. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the wrapped cauliflower, and green leaf and red leaf lettuce that’s sold in bulk without a brand name.

“We are likely — in the short run at least — to be short of those products,” said Mike von Massow, an associate professor at the University of Guelph.

In the winter, Canada’s supply of fresh fruit and vegetables tends to come from very specific areas, he said.

The farm in question likely represents a significant proportion of the total cauliflower and leafy greens arriving in Canada and stopping those imports could create a strain on supply, resulting in higher prices for what is safe and available ahead of the holidays.

Metro Inc.’s Ontario and Quebec distribution centres did not receive product from that farm, wrote spokeswoman Saide Weinstein in an email.

Sobeys Inc. also does not sell the products implicated in the recall, wrote company spokeswoman Sarah Mcleah, and neither does Loblaw Companies Ltd., wrote spokeswoman Catherine Thomas.

Romaine lettuce, on the other hand, seems to be back in stock in at least some grocers’ stores after a recent recall that prompted many companies to temporarily stop selling the product.

Empire, the parent company of Sobeys, has now sourced romaine from an unaffected region and the product is back in stock, an executive said during a conference call with analysts last week. Metro has also restocked romaine after sourcing it from Arizona, wrote Weinstein.

There are alternatives for each of these items, of course, like swapping brussels sprouts for cauliflower.

A more budget-minded option may be purchasing frozen cauliflower, said Simon Somogyi, a professor at the University of Guelph who studies food consumer behaviour.

“I think we’re definitely in a period of recall fatigue and there seems to be so many recalls of late that consumers are getting just confused and that’s a concern,” Somogyi said.

Canadians should be comforted by the fact that authorities have pinpointed the location of the most recent outbreak of cauliflower and leaf lettuce, he said.