In what may be the largest theft of produce in human history, a group of unidentified thieves made off with six tractor-trailers of tomatoes, a truck full of cucumbers and a truck of frozen meat products. When all the missing produce and meat is added together the value of the haul comes to a shocking $300,000.
Even more devastating was how and when the heist was pulled off. The theft occurred late last month, as the prices of tomatoes soared because of a deep Mexican freeze and a poor yield in Florida. Suddenly, tomatoes became extremely valuable crops that attracted the attention of thieves. Authorities suspect the robbers sold their produce to a distributor who sold the crops to someone else. No suspects have been arrested yet.
To pull off the heist, the thieves worked smoothly and seized several orders destined for far away locations. Because each of the stolen crops had to travel long distances, the thieves could steal multiple orders before the first ones were missed (none of the orders arrived in their intended destination).
What's alarming about this is how fragile the food system seems to be. Anyone could theoretically steal a load of produce, alter or sabotage it and sell it back to a distributor. Without asking another question, the tainted products could re-enter the American marketplace. This latest theft suggests that transportation companies should double check their security procedures for dealing with all products.
What do you make of this latest theft? Should American consumers be worried about where their food comes from?
Photo by altheengineer
