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FOOD PROCESSING Amy's Kitchen sues potato distributor, alleging debris in shipment More than $1.5 million worth of products had to be destroyed, company says Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 11:51 AM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 3:43 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 11:51 AM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 3:43 PM » Social News Amy's Kitchen is seeking more than $1.5 million from an organic produce distributor over a 2014 shipment of potatoes the White City processor said contained dangerous debris. According to court documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Medford, Amy's Kitchen and its insurance company are suing Merrill-based Stukel Mountain Organics and Klamath Falls-based Malin Potato Cooperative over what they allege to be "highly unusual and unprecedented" amounts of glass, plastic, paper and metal debris found in the shipment. The suit stems from 27,000 pounds of organic potatoes purchased from Stuckel Mountain Organics and sent in December 2014 to Amy's Kitchen in White City. The suit alleges that during the course of emptying the bins of potatoes for processing, and after some of the potatoes had already been processed into soup, Amy's employees discovered pieces of glass, plastic, paper and metal debris at the bottom of bins in which the potatoes had been shipped. The court documents say that at least one potato had embedded metal, and that most of the debris was found at the bottom of the bins, so it wasn't visible until after the bins were emptied. "The type and amount of debris discovered was highly unusual and unprecedented in Amy's experience," the documents allege. Because of the "substantial" amount of debris in the shipment, Amy's stopped production at the White City facility, destroyed finished food products containing the potatoes and destroyed the remainder of the potato shipment, according to documents. Amy's claimed the damage was in excess of $1.5 million. Amy's Kitchen's insurance company, Houston Casualty Company, paid Amy's a portion of the loss. Houston Casualty Company is a co-plaintiff with Amy's in the suit. The documents claim it was the responsibility of the Stukel Mountain Organics and Malin Potato Cooperative to inspect the bins and ensure debris was removed prior to shipping the potato order. Susan Grelock, Amy's Kitchen senior communications manager, said that all products made with the potatoes were destroyed and never released, so no product recall was necessary. A summons in the suit was filed electronically against Stukel Mountain Organics and Malin Potato Cooperative in federal court Wednesday. Jim Carleton, identified in a court document as the president of Stuckel Mountain Organics, declined to comment on the case. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 11:51 AM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 3:43 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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