State officials suspend meat, food processing at Outpost Natural Foods in Milwaukee
Outpost Natural Foods
MILWAUKEE -- The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the City of Milwaukee Health Department have suspended meat and food processing at Outpost Natural Foods located on S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Milwaukee due to unsanitary conditions.
A news release says DATCP has suspended the cooperative’s meat establishment license and the City of Milwaukee has suspended the cooperative’s retail food processing activities.
Unsanitary conditions were discovered during a routine inspection and ready-to-eat products tested positive for Salmonella. Further inspections found unsafe food handling practices that could pose a public health risk.
Outpost Natural Foods
Outpost Natural Foods is cooperating with food safety officials and working to correct operational procedures to reinstate its meat and food processing operations.
Outpost Natural Foods released the following statement on this matter:
“The quality and safety of the products is paramount to who we are and what we do at Outpost Natural Foods Co-op. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling certain products made at our central production facility which is located at the same address but separate from our Bay View store.
“Sample batches for the State Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection tested positive for Salmonella bacteria. The ready to eat products affected are: cold salads, pizzas, wraps, ready-to-heat entrees such as burritos, pot pies, savory turnovers, select hot bar items and Outpost labeled bakery items. We don’t know at this time if the positive test is the result of purchased ingredients or something at the facility. We are following the DATCP directive and temporarily stopping production out of the central kitchen until we determine the origin.
“There have been no reports of illness to date. Any of the products mentioned above and purchased at Outpost since August 19, 2019, should be discarded or returned to any Outpost location for a refund or credit.
“This situation does not impact any food produced at our individual store locations. We apologize for any inconvenience and will keep you posted on further developments.
“For consumer information, contact recalls@outpost.coop."