Pre-Packaged Salad Shortage Continues
Salad lovers in Costa Rica have had to withstand withdrawal symptoms as grocery stores have been out of supply of pre-packaged salad for the better part of the October and this month.

At first, the shortage was thought to be related to the news at the beginning of October when the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning not to eat certain Dole pre-packaged salads that have been connected to an outbreak of E. coli infections in Minnesota.

At least 11 people were sickened by a specific type of E. coli that had been connected to the products. Two were hospitalized. The last reported case connected to the outbreak was reported Sept. 19, the FDA said.

The particular type of E. coli connected to the salads is known as O157:H7. An infection can cause bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most healthy adults recover within a week, but children under 5 and the elderly are at risk for complications that can lead to kidney damage or death. Dole Food Co. recalled the affected salad products, the FDA said.

However, in Costa Rica, according to grocery the store managers - we contacted the manager at the Mas x Menos in Pavas and Sabana and the Auto Mercado in Rohrmoser, Multiplaza and downtown San José, and all gave us the same answer: lack of "materia prima" (raw material).

All the managers talked to ICR on the basis of anonymity and all had the same story to tell, almost if rehearsed. Clerks attending the produce section told the same story, almost word for word.

According to the grocery store operators, the effect of the rain and floods in Guatemala - the main supplier of the "materia prima" (raw material) produced a crop shortage.

The store manager told us that for the better part of October there were absolutely no deliveries of the pre-packaged salad products, when there were usually three deliveries per week. During the past couple of weeks, deliveries have resumed, but only one delivery per  week, however,  would not tell us which day of the week the shipments came.

Dole, Hortifruti and other suppliers of pre-packaged salads grow and source from independent growers in Guatemala and Honduras - both countries suffered severe damage from heavy rain, flooding and mudslides from hurricanes -  for markets in Latin America as well as North America, Europe, and selected Asian markets.

For the meantime, salad lovers have to made do with the local variety, which is recommended to be thoroughly washed before consuming.