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A pecan shelling processor in Mississippi and acidified foods firm in Jamaica are both on notice from the Food and Drug Administration for violations of U.S. food safety laws.
The FDA sent warning letters to the companies in August and November of last year and posted them for public view in recent days. Companies are allowed 15 working days to respond to FDA warning letters. Failure to promptly correct violations can result in legal action without further notice, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction.
MS Fruit & Vegetable Co. LLC In an Aug. 10 warning letter to company co-owners Lindsey B. Mabry and Lee D. Boone, the FDA described violations observed during an inspection Feb. 13-16, and 28, 2017, at the firm’s produce warehouse and seasonal pecan shelling operation in Grenada, MS. According to the warning letter, the investigators observed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) regulation for foods.
The following significant violations are noted regarding the adulterated foods:
• The firm failed to take precautions to ensure that production procedures do not contribute contamination from any source. “Pecan dust, whole pecans, and fragments of pecan nuts and shells were observed on floors, walls, and equipment surrounding the Pecan Sheller” … “Fragments of pecan nuts were sitting on top of (a) wooden table along with one case of exposed green bell peppers, one case of exposed cucumbers, and two plastic crates of onions.”
• “On February 16, 2017, an employee was observed using [a] pallet jack, which was covered in apparent pecan dust, to transport pallets of onions and exposed cabbage into the walk-in cooler. The same employee then handled approximately 400 exposed tomatoes using bare hand contact without washing his hands prior to handling the tomatoes.”
• The firm failed to take effective measures to exclude pests from the processing areas and to protect against the contamination of food on the premises by pests. There were apparent rodent excreta pellets on the floor inside of the walk-in cooler used to store ready-to-eat produce. Two dead rodents were observed in an area on top of the walk-in cooler utilized for storage of personal items. One apparent decayed rodent tail and too numerous to count apparent rodent hairs, were observed on the south receiving area floor used to receive and load ready-to-eat produce.
• The firm failed to take proper precautions to protect food from contamination with filth because of deficiencies in plant size and design, limiting access for cleaning and inspection for pests.
• The firm failed to properly store equipment and remove litter and waste that may constitute an attractant, breeding place, or harborage area for pests, within the immediate vicinity of the plant buildings or structures.
• The firm failed to us rodenticides under precautions and restrictions that will protect against the contamination of food, food-contact surfaces, and food-packaging materials. “Specifically, rodent stations were open, exposing rodent bait blocks. Fragments of these rodent bait blocks were directly on the floor in the southeast interior corner of the cooler, approximately eight feet from boxes of exposed sweet potatoes.”
• The firm failed to properly maintain plant equipment as to be adequately cleanable and properly maintained.
The FDA acknowledged a response letter dated Feb. 28, 2017, which was received on March 14, 2017, however the firm’s response to the above violations was not adequate, as further described in the letter.
