Eateries adjusting to recalls

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

E. coli scare produces few repercussions for groceries, restaurants

The Daily Inter Lake

Local businesses are feeling minimal negative impacts from recent recalls of spinach and green leaf lettuce.

"We haven't felt any repercussions at all," said Ray Lodien, manager at Sizzler on U.S. 2 in Kalispell. "We pulled [the spinach] immediately, and our customers have been aware of it and understanding."

Flathead restaurants and grocery stores removed the leafy green from their salad bars and produce departments after last month's deadly E. coli outbreak. More recently, the Salinas, Calif.-based Nunes Company issued a voluntary recall on about 8,500 cartons of its Foxy brand green leaf lettuce after E. coli bacteria was discovered in an irrigation pond at the farm where the lettuce was grown.

Only about 250 of those cartons could have reached consumers in a handful of Western states, including Montana. The recall was precautionary only; the crop may not have come in contact with contaminated water at all.

"People are, of course, concerned about it," said Brad Eslick, produce manager at Withey's Health Foods in Kalispell. "But we haven't really seen any impact from it specifically at all here."

The lettuce crop in question was conventional, not organic, he explained, so it would not affect Withey's produce. The store's organic spinach was not spared, however.

"All of the spinach, of course, has gone away," he said.

For the most part, shoppers have adjusted to the missing salad ingredient.

"We pulled it all, and people bought other lettuce," said Marcus Balgos, store manager of Lake Hills IGA in Bigfork.

Customers have been very understanding, he said, though some want to know when they'll be able to buy spinach again. Eslick thinks it may be a couple of months yet, while California spinach farmers grow a new crop.

"Around here, about the only place you can find it would be at the farmers markets," he said. "It's fall, so it's going to be pretty slim pickings until we get a new crop from California."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.