U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has introduced legislation (S.B. 3114) that would require food distributors, retailers and health agencies to notify consumers and local officials in the event of a Class I food recall. Under the Consumer Recall Notification Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could ask grocery stores and other retailers to provide “on-site notification” where recalled foods are sold. In addition, purveyors that track data through customer card systems would need to alert, by phone and mail, the purchasers of recalled items or risk civil penalties of $100 per customer. Suppliers would also need to notify “applicable retail establishments and restaurants” within 24 hours of a Class I recall to avoid a $1,000 penalty per day, per notification of each level of distribution. “In America, in 2010, it is unconscionable that we don’t have an effective way to communicate food-borne illness outbreaks to consumers and health departments,”…
Tag Archives food safety
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) held a March 10, 2010, public meeting to discuss agency procedures “for identifying suppliers of source material used to produce raw beef product that FSIS has found positive for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7.” FSIS announced the meeting as part of its ongoing efforts to evaluate “the effectiveness of its policies and procedures in responding to findings that raw beef is positive for E. coli O157:H7.” In particular, FSIS intends to issue “new instructions to Enforcement, Investigations, and Analysis Officers (EIAOs) to conduct additional verification activities at suppliers in response to positive E. coli O157:H7 results.” The agency will accept public input on these issues until May 7, 2010. See FSIS Press Release, March 3, 2010; Federal Register, March 8, 2010.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors issued a report March 4, 2010, stating that Basic Food Flavors, Inc., the Las Vegas-based company at the center of a massive and growing food recall, “continued to distribute HVP [hydrolyzed vegetable protein] paste and powder products” for nearly a month after receiving the first lab results “indicating the presence of Salmonella in your facility.” While no illness has apparently yet been attributed to the HVP, it is used in dozens of products. As of March 11, FDA had identified some 150 products containing HVP, including bouillon, dressing and dressing mixes, frozen foods, ready-to-eat meals, sauces and marinades, snacks and snack mixes, soups, soup mixes and dip mix products, and stuffings. According to some quality management specialists, this outbreak could be particularly challenging because HVP is considered a generic commodity; it can be purchased from many different suppliers, stored without an effective tracking system for…
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg offered her views on how the agency will move forward on food safety and labeling issues during a “Food Summit” sponsored by The Atlantic magazine at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2010. Hamburg stated that she plans to focus on two critical aspects of food policy: safety and how to make it easier for consumers to make more nutritious choices and reduce the risk of disease. She pointed to three converging factors that affect food safety. First, she stated that both consumers and the industry support reform measures and want a system focused on prevention, where everyone in the supply chain is held accountable and imports are required to meet U.S. standards. Second, she noted that current U.S. food safety legislation (H.R. 2749—passed by the House in July 2009 and expected to be taken up by the Senate this spring) would mandate a shift from reaction…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a plan to address preventive controls aimed at reducing the risk of microbial contamination of fresh produce at farms and packing houses. The agency seeks information and public input so that it can develop safety standards and cooperative strategies to ensure compliance. FDA is requesting comments on topics including (i) standards for domestic and foreign growers and packers; (ii) identification and prioritization of risk factors; (iii) environmental hazard assessments and “possible pathways of contamination”; (iv) methods to tailor preventive controls to particular hazards and conditions affecting an operation and to the scale of the operation; (v) microbial testing; (vi) post-harvest operations; and (vii) records and other documentation that would be useful to industry and regulators in ensuring the safety of fresh produce. Comments must be submitted by May 24, 2010. See Federal Register, February 23, 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a joint statement to announce a collaborative effort to improve the safety and quality of fresh produce. As part of the announcement, the agencies report that USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service “is in the midst of evaluating a proposed marketing agreement for the leafy green industry,” while the FDA “is currently developing a proposed produce safety regulation.” The notice calls for feedback and comments from stakeholders, noting that FDA would establish “a docket to receive information about current practices and conditions for the production and packing of fresh produce and practical approaches to improving produce safety.” See FDA News & Events, February 18, 2010.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Calif.) has called for an independent review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) meat and poultry inspection system, citing the recent recall of approximately 864,000 pounds of beef possibly contaminated with E. coli. Issued by a Montebello, Calif.-based meat packing company, the recall involved ground beef products identified by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) during a recent food safety assessment. In addition, FSIS reportedly flagged some 2008 products based on the establishment’s records. According to DeLauro, an independent board would “support and advise USDA, ensure that the inspection process is rigorous and scientifically robust, and recommend changes to any practices that are insufficiently protecting our food supply.” She further opined that this latest incident, which involved products produced almost two years ago, “is a glaring indication that the current inspection system for meat and poultry is inherently flawed and not sufficient to protect the…
A study of microbial contamination in soda fountains within a 22-mile radius of Roanoke, Virginia, claims that nearly one-half of them harbored “coliform bacteria” that could contain fecal matter. Amy S. White, et al., “Beverages obtained from soda fountain machines in the U.S. contain microorganisms, including bacteria,” International Journal of Food Microbiology, January 2010. Researchers studied 90 beverages of three types (sugar sodas, diet sodas and water) from 30 soda fountains (both self-service and staff-operated) to analyze and evaluate microorganisms with respect to U.S. drinking water regulations. They found that 48 percent of the beverages harbored coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. The authors speculated that the contamination could have come from “dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine.” “These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to LSG SkyChefs, an airline catering company, to formally notify the company that its classification has been changed from “Approved” to “Provisional.” According to the December 10, 2009, letter, an FDA inspection revealed “significant deviations” from regulatory requirements, including insect infestations, standing water, debris accumulation, and swab samples that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The company’s food processing facility will be re-inspected in 30 days, and if the conditions have not improved, “then your facility will be classified as ‘Use Prohibited’ or ‘Not Approved.’ ” FDA provided copies of its warning letter to the airlines that purchase food from SkyChefs; they will be unable to obtain food from the company if it fails the second inspection.
The last phase of the European Union’s (EU) food origin legislation takes effect January 1, 2010, requiring slaughterhouse operators and livestock keepers to provide Food Chain Information (FCI) for all cattle, sheep and goats sent to slaughter for human consumption. According to UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), FCI includes data about the “health of the animals being sent for slaughter, and other information relevant to the safety of meat derived from them, including medicines the animals have been given.” The rules already apply to other species such as pigs and calves. FSA urged slaughterhouse operators, markets and livestock keepers to prepare for the changes now because once the new rules are enforced, meat from cattle, sheep or goats without FCI information will not be passed for human consumption. “The new rules are an important part of ‘farm-to-fork’ food safety controls and highlight the food safety responsibilities of livestock keepers in…
