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Jamba Juice’s Stand-up Attitude
Out-Shines Lysteria Problem

An excellent contrast to the odd way Taco Bell has been handling its E. coli problem is the more exemplary way that Jamba Juice has been handling its problem regarding frozen strawberries.

First, right on the front page of its website it has a notice

Jamba Juice Issues

Alert Regarding

Stawberry Smoothies

DETAILS

This means that the average consumer who doesn’t think to navigate to “press releases” knows where to go to find information. They are not hiding from the truth.

Then, when you click on the link, you are taken to a page that lays it all out, including supplier names and is signed by the CEO of the company, a Mr. Paul Clayton. I don’t know him, but I like him already. The page is set up as a link so it can be easily printed, e-mailed to loved ones, etc. Here is what Paul Clayton says:

As you may have heard, over the last few days we received some very upsetting news. We discovered that one of our suppliers — Cleugh’s Frozen Foods Inc. — shipped frozen strawberries to us that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially harmful bacteria.

We moved immediately to verify if shipments of the product had left the distribution center and we launched a safety audit to determine if any of the frozen strawberries in question were in our stores. Most of the identified shipments were recovered before they were ever unpacked, however some of the contaminated strawberries may have been used in a limited number of stores in Southern California, Arizona and Southern Nevada.

We have notified the US Food and Drug Administration and are in the process of notifying state and local health officials to make sure the public is safe. In addition, we have halted all shipments from the plant where the Listeria was found until we are completely convinced that their products are safe and processed in a manner consistent with our high standards. To provide greater assurance to our customers and ourselves, we completed additional cleaning and sanitized every store that received shipments from our supplier’s affected location.

I can assure you, the health and well-being of our customers and Jamba Juice team members are our highest priority. Serving safe and wholesome products is the very foundation of our company — and we will do whatever it takes to identify and correct any problems. We want our customers to know that they can rely on Jamba Juice to deliver products that meet the highest safety standards.

While I am relieved to say that no problems have been reported to date, any customer that has purchased a strawberry smoothie in one of the identified stores between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, 2006 and has developed cold or flu-like symptoms should call the Jamba Juice consumer help line at 1-877-464-5689 or consult their healthcare provider. This is especially true for those most at risk — pregnant women, infants, the elderly or people with weakened immune systems.

If there are any questions — about which store you visited, our products or the reimbursement program — please call our consumer help line (1-877-464-5689). We’ve added staff to assist with calls. More information can also be found in the FDA press release.

All of us at Jamba Juice want to thank you for your continued support and loyalty. It is your trust in Jamba Juice that has made us the brand we are today. We look forward to building on that trust now and in the future.

— Paul Clayton
CEO
Jamba Juice

A Pundit cheer for a stand-up attitude at Jamba Juice and some real sympathy for a town that just can’t get a break. The frozen strawberries implicated in this outbreak were supplied by Cleugh’s Frozen Foods, which recalled all the product. Cleugh’s is based in, you guessed it, Salinas, California.

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