Stone Fruit Recall Does Not Impact Locally Grown Peaches

Stone Fruit Recall Does Not Impact Locally Grown Peaches

Farmers emphasize produce from your local grower is safe to eat.

Effort, Monroe County – As the nationwide stone fruit recall expands, local farmers want shoppers to know their peaches are safe.


Michael Sarabok a tourist from New York was surprised to hear about the nationwide fruit recall that affected many large stores. "I was concerned. Why buy them there when they are not good, maybe you get a sickness or a disease from them,” he said.


He feels much more comfortable shopping at farm stands like Heckman’s Orchard in Effort. He explained, "From the farms is the best and cleanest. By the time they get to the store who knows what they do."


Farmer Mark Heckman told Eyewitness News local growers have more incentive to make sure their produce is clean. He explained, "We're selling things to our friends, our family, our neighbors. We're consuming the product ourselves so I think we are much more cautious to make sure that everything we sell here is safe."


He said mold and bacteria can quickly build up on containers and equipment so he makes sure his staff disinfects equipment often."I still think the local farmers do a better job of it than the big commercial growers that just have an executive sitting in an office making the decision. I'm out in the field with our employees making the decision,” he said.


The place where you pick your peaches could make a big difference. "I'm hoping people want to realize they'd rather buy from a small local farmer than from a big box store that has no idea where their product came from,” said Heckman.

For more information about the recall visit

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