Natural Selection Foods calls off PSJ purchase
Natural Selection Foods calls off PSJ purchase
San Juan Bautista, CA-based Natural Selection Foods has decided not to buy neighbor Pride of San Juan's manufacturing operations after running PSJ's processing plant for the past six months. That plant has been identified recently as the facility where Natural Selection Foods had packed bags of spinach under the "Dole" label that were found to have contained E. coli O157:H7.
At a press conference Sept. 28, Natural Selection Foods spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna said that the E. coli outbreak had caused the company to reassess its financial footing for purchasing the processing plant. In a March press release, Natural Selection said that its intention to purchase the facility was an effort to expand its reach in the foodservice market with specialty salads, herbs and edible flowers.
Under the agreement, PSJ founder and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Wyrick maintained PSJ's farming operations, and PSJ continued to supply Natural Selection Foods with volume to fulfill orders for the "Pride of San Juan" labels. Natural Selection Foods had assumed responsibility for managing PSJ's manufacturing and marketing operations.
Though the PSJ processing plant has been identified in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach, Natural Selection officials have said that Food & Drug Administration investigators and an independent lab tested the plant following the outbreak and returned clean results.
Doug Wyrick, PSJ's director of sales and marketing and brother to Stephen Wyrick, told The Produce News Oct. 2 that PSJ is treating its former processing plant as real estate and "definitely" would not reoccupy the plant if it has trouble selling it. He said that PSJ served millions of salads per week without incident for more than 10 years using conventionally grown and organically grown produce.
Doug Wyrick said that PSJ continues to grow product for Natural Selection Foods and that its rapport with company has not changed.
PSJ has an active herb program and is a partner and grows for the "Emeril's" line of gourmet produce that features select spring mixes, whole leaf, herbs, tomatoes and other gourmet and seasonal produce.
The "Emeril's" line is an active program for PSJ, Doug Wyrick said, adding that PSJ is "evaluating options on our spring mix." The company packs at its facility in Hollister, CA, next door to San Juan Bautista.
Doug Wyrick said that it is too early to gauge the overall impact that recent events will have on PSJ.
"We're in a wait-and-see kind of mode," he said.
At a press conference Sept. 28, Natural Selection Foods spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna said that the E. coli outbreak had caused the company to reassess its financial footing for purchasing the processing plant. In a March press release, Natural Selection said that its intention to purchase the facility was an effort to expand its reach in the foodservice market with specialty salads, herbs and edible flowers.
Under the agreement, PSJ founder and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Wyrick maintained PSJ's farming operations, and PSJ continued to supply Natural Selection Foods with volume to fulfill orders for the "Pride of San Juan" labels. Natural Selection Foods had assumed responsibility for managing PSJ's manufacturing and marketing operations.
Though the PSJ processing plant has been identified in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach, Natural Selection officials have said that Food & Drug Administration investigators and an independent lab tested the plant following the outbreak and returned clean results.
Doug Wyrick, PSJ's director of sales and marketing and brother to Stephen Wyrick, told The Produce News Oct. 2 that PSJ is treating its former processing plant as real estate and "definitely" would not reoccupy the plant if it has trouble selling it. He said that PSJ served millions of salads per week without incident for more than 10 years using conventionally grown and organically grown produce.
Doug Wyrick said that PSJ continues to grow product for Natural Selection Foods and that its rapport with company has not changed.
PSJ has an active herb program and is a partner and grows for the "Emeril's" line of gourmet produce that features select spring mixes, whole leaf, herbs, tomatoes and other gourmet and seasonal produce.
The "Emeril's" line is an active program for PSJ, Doug Wyrick said, adding that PSJ is "evaluating options on our spring mix." The company packs at its facility in Hollister, CA, next door to San Juan Bautista.
Doug Wyrick said that it is too early to gauge the overall impact that recent events will have on PSJ.
"We're in a wait-and-see kind of mode," he said.
