Two years later, I find a reply from the chairman of Goolai salad on my post. Awesome. These people know how to keep their image.
First and foremost, I would like to stress that finding bugs in [fresh] green salads is common. It's so common, you probably don't eat enough fresh salad if you never experienced it. The post I made two years ago was simply to share that little experience. Although I've found small worms, etc. on my salads before -- even those from expensive restaurants -- I never bothered about them. I interpreted them as "it can only mean my salad is fresh!"
Anyway, below is the comment from Goolai's chairman.
I hope I don't get in trouble re-posting this. Mr. Misa shared their production process and I think it's an interesting read for Goolai fans like myself.
I am Lito Misa, the chairman of Agri-Growers Multi-Purpose Coopertive. My friend Tony just informed me about your blog on the preying mantis.
I am very alarmed about this incident because this has never happend to us yet. There have been two or three incidents in the past 6 years about tiny larvae in leaves but never a large, live standing/swaying preying mantis.
I am sorry I was informed about this incident only today, two years too late, and I would like to apologize and make amends for the incident. Please tell me where we can meet and I will replace your salad. I can go to you wherever you are.
For your satisfaction, I am describing to you below our production process which is designed to eliminate bugs and sediments from our salads. Our lettuce come from organic and hydroponic farms in Tagaytay and Cavite and Baguio. We never use pesticides or preservatives. Nevertheless, I would like to assuage your
worries about our salads having bugs.
Production Process:
1. Culling: Lettuce vegetables from suppliers’ trays are shorn of old leaves and each leaf is individually cut off and put into our trays to be brought to washing basins. During this process any standing/swaying preying mantis should have been discovered.
2. Washing in 3 basins each measuring 3 ft. wide, 5 feet long and 2 feet high:
We wash the lettuce in 1.5 feet of water by manually shaking, submerging and tossing the lettuce in the water where the sediments fall. We transfer the lettuce from the first basin to the second and then to the third basin to progressively clean the lettuce. All the while we subject lettuce in the second and third basin to an industrial ozonator treatment that produces an overabundance of oxygen where bacteria cannot survive. This kills salmonella and coliform bacteria. During this process, any preying mantis would have died of drowning.
3. Drying in the stainless spinner:
We put the lettuce in the spinner and let the spinner turn centripetally at a fast rate to eject all sediments including water in order to dry the lettuce. All sediments are either expelled or fall down. Any preying mantis, after spinning, should have become more dead.
3. Sorting and placing lettuce in transparent containers:
Our employees sort out the lettuce leaves one by one and examine them to avoid the presence of any tiny worm that may have been imbedded in the leaves because most of our lettuce are organic (lettuce from hydroponic farms are not organic but they are hygienic). The employees examine and cut the leaves in half or smaller sizes and fit them in the container leaf by leaf. This process is done on long well-lighted tables. Any dead or swaying/standing preying mantis should have easily been spotted.
4. Toppings and dressing: Prepared toppings and dressings are placed in the container box. The container boxes are sealed with scotch tape on four sides and placed in grocery bags, brought to the delivery cars/trucks and delivered to our outlets.
Against all odds, however, the preying mantis was still alive.
I am happy that you say that you still like our salads. In Europe my cousin tells me they buy only lettuce with little holes in them because they are confident that leaves are organic and safe.
We are now beginning to grow our own organic lettuce in Barangay Pinugay, Baras, Rizal. We never put pesticides or chemicals in the soil or on the plants lest our customers, especially those with cancer, get sick. We do take all means to avoid bugs although this is near to impossible. Nevertheless, we do not resort to pesticides and chemicals because we consider the health of our customers above everything else.
I hope you find my letter acceptable. Please tell me where I can bring your free salad.
Thank you.
Yours truly,
Gonzalo B. Misa
Chairman
gonzalobmisa@gmail.com
09175875075
Tel. 6471205
26 Hillside Loop, Blue Ridge A Subdivision, Quezon City.
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