The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is requesting comments on its draft guidance for controlling Salmonella in hog slaughter facilities. Intended to “provide information on best practices to prevent, eliminate or reduce levels of Salmonella on hogs at all stages of slaughter and dressing,” FSIS issued the guidance in response to recent Salmonella outbreaks implicating pork. Stating that facilities improving contamination control at appropriate processing locations will “likely produce raw pork products that have fewer pathogens, including Salmonella,” the Salmonella Action Plan describes steps involved in the hog slaughter process and production of raw products, with each step targeting best practice recommendations for Salmonella contamination control. It also includes information on farm rearing and transport intended for establishments to share with their suppliers and producers. Comments will be accepted until March 7, 2014. See Federal Register, January 6, 2014. Meanwhile, a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts argues that FSIS…
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A federal court in Georgia has called for the prosecutors and defendants in a criminal action arising from the 2009 nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to the peanut products made by the Blakely, Georgia, Peanut Corp. of America to propose a scheduling order and trial dates between July 7, 2014, and August 2014. United States v. Parnell, No. 13-cr-12 (M.D. Ga., order entered December 11, 2013). The case had been set for trial in February. The court also agreed to review in camera affidavits and other supporting documents “to demonstrate why [the defendants’] defenses are antagonistic and mutually exclusive.” Former Peanut Corp. owner Stewart Parnell has requested that the court sever the proceedings which have been brought jointly against him and several company employees. The court further reserved ruling on pending discovery motions and the government’s motion for a competency hearing as to Stewart Parnell. Issue 507
According to court records, prosecutors have filed a motion for psychiatric examination as to Stewart Parnell, who is under criminal indictment for actions relating to the 2009 nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to the peanut products made by the Blakely, Georgia, Peanut Corp. of America plant that Parnell owned. United States v. Parnell, No. 12-cr-12 (M.D. Ga., motion filed December 4, 2013). Information about the criminal charges appears in Issue 472 of this Update. Parnell has filed a motion to sever defendant and counts. The criminal proceedings against him are currently joined to charges against other company employees.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released its Salmonella Action Plan outlining steps theagency will take to address its “most pressing problem”—Salmonella in meat and poultry products. Key elements of the plan include modernizing an “outdated” poultry slaughter inspection system and shifting FSIS inspectors to more offline, food-safety duties, which the agency said will prevent at least an estimated 5,000 illnesses annually. The plan also calls for FSIS to (i) establish new performance standards; (ii) develop new strategies for “inspection and throughout the full farm-to-table continuum”; (iii) address all potential sources of Salmonella; and (iv) focus the agency’s “education and outreach tools on Salmonella.” Although lauded by many food-safety advocates, critics claim that it “completely ignores” one of the most crucial issues the meat industry faces— antibiotic-resistant Salmonella. “It is shocking for the agency to have stayed on the sidelines of this public health crisis, particularly in the…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a request for comments on proposed revisions to its “Guidance for Industry: Studies to Evaluate the Utility of Anti-Salmonella Chemical Food Additives in Feeds.” With the aim of helping sponsors design efficacy studies to support the submission of food additive petitions (FAPs) related to preventing Salmonella in food for animals, FDA noted that a revision is necessary because science, technology and FDA policy have changed since the guidance was last revised. Because current guidance addresses only chemical food additives intended to maintain feeds or feed ingredients as Salmonella-negative, the agency intends to expand the scope to address other categories of food additives beyond chemical food additives and to cover all food for animals, including pet food. Among other things, FDA seeks comment on the following questions: (i) what intended technical effects will the agency see in FAPs for anti-Salmonella use of…
A December 6, 2013, hearing will be held before a Federal court in Georgia on pending pretrial motions in a criminal lawsuit filed against former Peanut Corp. of America officials and employees, including owner Stewart Parnell. United States v. Parnell, No. 13-CR-12 (M.D. Ga., November 5, 2013). The company was the source of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak in 2009, and the 76-count indictment charges four individuals with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and other counts related to the distribution of adulterated and misbranded food. Among the pending motions are requests for the disclosure of government witnesses and release of Brady materials (exculpatory information).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended until December 16, 2013, the period for submission of comments, scientific data and other information related to its risk assessment of human salmonellosis associated with the consumption of tree nuts. Originally published in the July 18 Federal Register, the assessment seeks to quantify the public health risk associated with eating tree nuts potentially contaminated with Salmonella and evaluate the impact of interventions to prevent contamination with the bacterium or to reduce contamination levels. Additional information about the risk assessment appears in Issue 491 of this Update. See Federal Register, October 4, 2013.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a report examining the impact of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on human health. Titled Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013, the report categorizes bacterial strains as either urgent threats, serious threats or concerning threats according to their clinical and economic impacts, incidence, 10-year projection of incidence, transmissibility, availability of effective antibiotics, and barriers to prevention. Among the bacteria identified by CDC as serious threats are drug-resistant Campylobacter, drug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and drug resistant tuberculosis. In particular, the agency has noted that the “use of antibiotics in foodproducing animals allows antibiotic-resistant bacteria to thrive while susceptible bacteria are suppressed or die.” Warning that “much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary and inappropriate and makes everyone less safe,” the report highlights CDC’s work with the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture to monitor trends in antibiotic resistance…
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report finding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) did not adequately evaluate the impact of proposed poultry and hog inspection changes that would replace some USDA inspectors on slaughter lines with plant personnel tasked with ensuring quality and safety standards. According to the report, USDA implemented several pilot projects at poultry and hog processing plants over the past decade but ultimately failed to gather enough data to assess the effectiveness of these new systems. Nevertheless, the agency has since proposed an optional inspection scheme for both poultry and hog operations “based on its experience with the pilot projects at young chicken and young turkey plants.” Asked to review these pilot projects by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), GAO determined that the proposed changes would give production plants more flexibility and responsibility while allowing inspectors to focus…
A recent article in The New York Times reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to release a three-year-long study concluding that imported spices, particularly those from India and Mexico, are contaminated with Salmonella—reportedly the most common source of foodborne illness—at twice the rate of all other imported foods. “In a study of more than 20,000 food shipments,” the article states, “[USDA] found that nearly 7 percent of spice lots were contaminated with salmonella, twice the average of all other imported foods. Some 15 percent of coriander and 12 percent of oregano and basil shipments were contaminated, with high contamination levels also found in sesame seeds, curry powder and cumin. Four percent of black pepper shipments were contaminated.” “Salmonella is a widespread problem with respect to imported spices,” Deputy U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Michael Taylor was quoted as saying. “We have decided that spices are…
