The public imagination and speculation on the part of the media can lead to damaging a family business far beyond repair. I for one, would like to speak up on the behalf of my colleagues in the industry. From all the different aspects, whether manufacture, distribution, retail, or food service - those I have known do not take the issue of public safety lightly.
For my part, I recommend taking a step back, and allowing the Crave family and their business partners working with the authorities to follow the required protocol, which will hopefully identify the point at which the contamination occurred. Speculation and heresay serve no productive efforts.
Sanitation is a state of being that many of my 'cheesemaker' friends live with on a 24 hour a day basis, both in their daily practices, and in their dream states. For many years now, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plans and protocol has been top of mind for them. Each American Cheese Society Conference and indeed its current Certification Program has been imbued with a goal of making American Artisan Cheeses and those that make, distribute, and sell it the safest food eaten. I can remember to my earliest days in the industry back in 1994 that talk of Listeria struck terror in my friends hearts. They could not conceive of causing such devastation to another human, and they believed that their products could enhance the human existence through it's quality and flavor.
With the recently passed Food Safety Modernization 2011, increased scrutiny will become the norm. Even our small retail shop has been developing its own HAACP. Daily, weekly, monthly cleaning tasks and careful receiving notation are an accountability issue long practiced by many in our industry. The safety of the public is not something we take for granted.
I've known George and Debbie Crave now many years, and they and their family are dedicated to bringing us the highest quality cheeses, and standards of business that contribute excellence to their community. I am sure they and their family and partners are working non-stop with the authorities to know where the problem occurred and to rectify it in the most iron-clad ways possible. I support their on-going efforts, and pray for their return as quickly as possible to safe and 'normalized' operations.
If you have any concerns, please do go to their web site and follow the links established their for the recall.
