S.T.O.P. (Safe Tables Our Priority)

July 22, 1997

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Dear Valued Member of the Press,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make an announcement in the next month regarding their plans for raw juice safety. While F.D.A. work in this area has been ongoing since outbreaks last fall, it is likely that any announcement the FDA will be making will not result in substantial changes that can be implemented prior to or during the fall, 1997 raw apple juice/cider season. Indeed, apple harvesting has already begun in California for the fall season.

This timing gap between F.D.A. regulation proposals and their implementation poses a serious threat to the health of U.S. children. Children are the chief consumers of apple juice; it is expressly recommended and marketed for toddler and child consumption.

In the past six years, raw apple juice/cider has been repeatedly linked to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Children are also the hardest hit victims of E. coli O157:H7 contamination, which after causing severe diarrhea and cramping, can result in strokes, paralysis, kidney failure, heart failure, coma and death. Because parents are unaware that raw apple juice industry practices have generally not changed since the fall/1996 outbreaks and may naively believe the government has eliminated the threat, we believe that there is a high likelihood of children being sickened, maimed or even killed by raw apple juice/cider this fall.

When the F.D.A. makes its announcement, we will be sending you a press release covering our analysis of what they have accomplished. In the meantime, we wanted to send you materials (including a backgrounder and FAQ on juice safety, a list of contacts and quotes, and an overview of HACCP in an apple orchard) that might help your coverage of risks to children this fall. Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,