Some Pantries Take ‘Extreme’ Approach To Recalled Products

CENTRAL OHIO—As the recall list for tainted peanut products expands, local food pantries are doing their part to ensure unsafe products don’t reach your family table.

The recall list stands at 1,800 products – and growing.

Ohio is reporting 89 cases of salmonella currently, and 600 people have been infected nationwide.

NBC 4’s Tom Brockman GOT THE BOTTOMLINE on how the recall is putting a strain on local food banks and pantries.

“I’ve been in food-banking for nearly 20 years, and this is the largest food recall that I am familiar with,“ Lisa Hamler-Fugitt said.

Hamler-Fugitt said the recall couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Hamler-Fugitt is the executive director of Ohio Association Of Second Harvest Food Banks.

“I’ve described this as a catastrophe at a time when the demand is exceeding all of our available resources,“ Hamler-Fugitt said.

Second Harvest represents 12 food banks that supply food to nearly 3,000 member charities.

She said employees and volunteers have the painstaking task of going through boxes of donated food and looking for any of the more than 1,800 recalled products.

Hamler-Fugitt said recalled products have been found.

When in doubt, Second Harvest throws it out, she said.

She also said that could add up to thousands of pounds worth of food—some that’s perfectly fine—tossed.

“The biggest process of our day is making sure all of the food that comes in and we put on the shelves is safe,“ said Barbara Packer.

Packer is with Lutheran Social Services.

Brockman spoke with her at its Choice Food Pantry on Frebis Avenue.

Packer said they weren’t going through the recall list and trying to figure out what’s safe and what isn’t.

They were taking a much more extreme approach.

“The list keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. So we’ve just taken the policy that whatever comes in that has peanut butter in it, we just throw it out,“ Packer said.

It looks like pantries will operate on a cautious basis for a while, at least.

“This is going to be with us for years to come,“ Hamler-Fugitt said.