William Kanitz
Well-known member
Wild Oats pulls POM Wonderful from some stores
Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:55am ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Natural and organic grocer Wild Oats Markets Inc. pulled bottles of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice from shelves in seven stores, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, after an animal rights group claimed it tampered with 487 bottles.
POM called the claim a hoax and said it has not found any evidence of contamination of any of its products.
"So far we are not aware of any consumers who have become ill as a result of these purported actions," POM said in an e-mailed statement.
Wild Oats, the No. 2 organic grocer in the United States behind Whole Foods Market Inc., said it pulled POM juice from shelves in Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Reuters Pictures
"As soon as we get test results that demonstrate that it has not been tampered with, we will reorder the product and have it back on our shelves," said Wild Oats spokeswoman Sonja Tuitele. "We want to make sure the product is safe before we continue selling it in stores that may have been targeted."
An anonymous letter posted on the Web site of the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org, said bottles "along the Eastern seaboard in stores like Wild Oats, D'Agostino and Food Emporiums" had been tampered with. Posted on the Web site as a "communique", it said contaminated contents of the bottles would cause diarrhea, vomiting and headaches, but not death.
POM, owned by Los Angeles-based Roll International which also owns Fiji Water and flower company Teleflora, has become a target of animal rights activists because it funds research into the medical benefits of pomegranate juice and part of that involves animals.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman Bill Carter said the agency always looks into claims regarding consumer product tampering because it is a violation of federal law.
Three animal rights activists were found guilty in September of violating the federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act and sentenced to up to six years in prison for their campaign against a company that tests chemicals on animals.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:55am ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Natural and organic grocer Wild Oats Markets Inc. pulled bottles of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice from shelves in seven stores, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, after an animal rights group claimed it tampered with 487 bottles.
POM called the claim a hoax and said it has not found any evidence of contamination of any of its products.
"So far we are not aware of any consumers who have become ill as a result of these purported actions," POM said in an e-mailed statement.
Wild Oats, the No. 2 organic grocer in the United States behind Whole Foods Market Inc., said it pulled POM juice from shelves in Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Reuters Pictures
"As soon as we get test results that demonstrate that it has not been tampered with, we will reorder the product and have it back on our shelves," said Wild Oats spokeswoman Sonja Tuitele. "We want to make sure the product is safe before we continue selling it in stores that may have been targeted."
An anonymous letter posted on the Web site of the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org, said bottles "along the Eastern seaboard in stores like Wild Oats, D'Agostino and Food Emporiums" had been tampered with. Posted on the Web site as a "communique", it said contaminated contents of the bottles would cause diarrhea, vomiting and headaches, but not death.
POM, owned by Los Angeles-based Roll International which also owns Fiji Water and flower company Teleflora, has become a target of animal rights activists because it funds research into the medical benefits of pomegranate juice and part of that involves animals.
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman Bill Carter said the agency always looks into claims regarding consumer product tampering because it is a violation of federal law.
Three animal rights activists were found guilty in September of violating the federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act and sentenced to up to six years in prison for their campaign against a company that tests chemicals on animals.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
