Michigan farm dumped outhouse waste into field, contaminating produce

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
·3 min read

A state health advisory warning people not to eat produce grown on a Michigan farm was prompted by the discovery of two 5-gallon buckets of excrement dumped directly into the fields, officials said Wednesday.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) issued a consumer advisory Monday, telling people not to eat produce grown by Kuntry Gardens, a farm in Homer, near Battle Creek and in Calhoun County.

The contamination was discovered during a routine inspection conducted Sept. 28.

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According to the agency, the untreated human waste came from two buckets, 5 gallons each, from outhouses on the farm.

“The farmer disclosed to us that the outhouse buckets were dumped directly onto the field where produce was grown,” Jennifer Holton, MDARD director of communications, told the Free Press.

Kuntry Gardens violated Michigan Food Law and other state and federal laws by using "raw, untreated human waste on the fields where produce was grown for sale to local grocery stores and direct sale.”

A cease and desist and seizure order was placed on the farm by MDARD.

Holton added that this is an “open and ongoing investigation and very early on in the process.”

Greener Pastures Market in South Lyon is one of several places that sold Kuntry Gardens products. The market, according to a Facebook post, sold Kuntry Gardens products in small quantities. In addition, according to the post, Kuntry Gardens was a “very minor produce vendor” for the market.

“It’s very sad and disappointed to hear that this happened,” Peyton Richardson, owner of Greener Pastures told the Free Press. “We wish everyone the best and that things work out and nobody will get sick. I am glad we were able to do something about it. Safety is our main concern. We are just sad that this happened.”

The market, according to the post, disposed of all Kuntry Gardens products. Greener Pastures Market also sold Kuntry Garden eggs, which are not impacted by the recall. The market posted they will no longer carry the eggs, either.

Busch's Fresh Food Market also issued a recall on the Kuntry Gardens produce it sells. A full refund will be issued to Busch's customers for any of the Kuntry Gardens purchased since Aug. 1, according to a Busch's news release.

The produce sold at Busch's Fresh Food Markets is listed as organic with specific product codes.

Products include:

  • Green beans

  • Greens cabbage

  • Cucumbers

  • Eggplant

  • Onions: red and yellow

  • Peppers: green, red sweet peppers, poblano and lunchbox peppers

  • Squash: zucchini, acorn, butternut, spaghetti and yellow squash

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Tomatoes: heirloom, Roma, Sungold and vine.

Seek medical advice if you are experiencing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice (yellowing of the skin,) fever, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, weakness, headache or other symptoms of foodborne illness.

Consumers can contact the farm or place where the product was purchased for information on disposing of the product and a refund. For additional questions, consumers can call MDARD at 800-292-3939 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kuntry Gardens farm dumped human waste in field, contaminating produce