One of the most popular and beloved brands in the organic food industry, Harmless Harvest, surprised us with a Christmas gift that none of us wanted to receive – news that it has temporarily halted the bottling of its prized coconut water.
If you go to the company’s website, there is a long letter from the new CEO, Giannella Alvarez, eloquently saying many different things including that:
We have recently received a letter from the FDA requesting we comply with additional quality criteria to ensure consumers receive an added layer of product quality and safety from delivery into their hands.
The letter from the FDA said that there were serious violations of the company’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and that “spores of Clostridium botulinum have demonstrated the ability to germinate and grow in low acid juices (such as coconut juice), producing toxin.”
According to the World Health Organization, Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that produces dangerous toxins (botulinum toxins) under low-oxygen conditions, which can result in death.
In retrospect, this news about Harmless Harvest is not a huge surprise. Why? Read more »