Two NY Meat Operators Charged with Using Phony USDA Stamps to Upgrade Meat

Two Brooklyn meat cutters are charged with fraud for using fake USDA stickers to change cheaper grades of meat into more expensive ones.  "Howard Mora, 67, and Alan Buxbaum, 65, are on the block for allegedly loading up on “Choice”-grade beef and selling it as superior “Prime”-grade meat while at the helm of A. Stein Meat Products between 2011 and 2014."  If convicted, the pair face up to 20 years in prison.

NY Post
https://nypost.com/2019/09/24/beef-sellers-used-fake-usda-stamps-on-low-quality-cuts-feds/
Beef sellers used fake USDA stamps on low-quality cuts: feds
By Andrew Denney and Ebony Bowden
September 24, 2019 | 7:28pm

This Week in Allergen Related Recalls for Week Ending September 28, 2019

Third Party Packers Have Packaging Error - Weaver Fundraising, LLC (Indianapolis, IN) is voluntarily recalling 15 oz. tins containing Trail’s End Chocolatey Caramel Crunch because they may inadvertently contain almonds, cashews and pecans. The recalled tins of Chocolatey Caramel Crunch were distributed to consumers through Boy Scout councils located in Houston, Texas and Corpus Christi, Texas and none were sold thru retail. The issue stemmed from an error made by one of its third party packagers in labeling the tins, and the situation has been remediated.

Cookie Dough has Undeclared Nuts and Peanuts - California New Foods has issued a voluntary recall of frozen and refrigerated cookie dough products due to a lack of labeling that addresses the potential for the products to contain peanut and walnut allergens. The recalled products are not in production and are not currently sold in stores. Consumers, however, may have the products at home. The recall was necessitated by a consumer complaint.

Two Meat Processing Executive Face Up to Five Years in Prison for Cheating the Prison System

Two executives at West Texas Provisions Inc. face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to selling more than 775,000 pounds of uninspected, misbranded or adulterated meat to 32 prison institutions in 18 states, for which the BOP paid $1,011,166.72.   They also processed whole cow hearts labeled as ground beef.  According to the report, "They kept the whole hearts offsite until inspectors left the premises, then processed the hearts on nights and weekends, when inspectors weren’t working".

Meatingplace
https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/87930
Execs plead guilty to selling adulterated beef to prisons
By Tom Johnston on 9/27/2019

Salmon Product Recalled After Product Tests Listeria Positive

Euphoria Fancy Food Inc of Brooklyn, NY is recalling its 7.05 oz packages of “CAPITAN K” salmon slightly salted pieces because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The contamination was discovered after sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Market Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenesin some 7.05 oz vacuum packages of “CAPITAN K” salmon slightly salted pieces.  Product was made in Russia. It appears to be a ready-to-eat product.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/euphoria-fancy-food-inc-recalls-capitan-k-salmon-fillet-due-possible-health-risk
Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. Recalls “Capitan K Salmon Fillet” Due to Possible Health Risk
Summary
Company Announcement Date: September 20, 2019
FDA Publish Date: September 24, 2019
Product Type: Food & Beverages Fish
Reason for Announcement: Due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes
Company Name: Euphoria Fancy Food Inc
Brand Name: Captain K
Product Description: Salmon slightly salted pieces

Eggs Fall Off Truck Onto PA Roadway

In Hegins Township, PA, a load of eggs fell off of a truck onto the roadway making it far less than egg-scellent driving conditions.  The driver of the truck said the containers fell over easy as the load shifted.  Motorists said it was no yolk  to drive on, especially where the road was dippy allowing the material to lay in the roadway.  Police worried that motorists rolling along too fast could be toast, having to shell out a lot of cash if there was a crack-up.  Cleanup crews scrambled to the site and hatched up a cleanup plan to remove the debris before a fowl smell developed.  Local resident flocked to the scene to chick'en on the situation.

https://www.newsbreakapp.com/n/0Mwr4fDs?s=i4&pd=01B3PIHz
136,000 eggs fall off truck into a Pennsylvania highway
whdh.com - 17 hours ago (9/26/19)

FDA Issues Warning Letter to NY Bakery for Rodents and Filth

FDA issued a Warning Letter to a NY Ready-to-Eat (RTE), baked goods manufacturing facility.
Due to the length of the write-up, a quick summary is here:

• No Preventive Controls Plan.
• Numerous rodents, rodent poop, and cockroaches around food and food contact packaging
• Filth was found on the packaging and on equipment
• Sanitation was inadequate for food processing equipment in terms of allergen control
• Facility had a bunch of issues - gaps in doors, poor flooring, etc
• Used color material that they should not have used
• Did not label allergen on label
• Etc

How does a facility like this operate?

WARNING LETTER
Crispy Delight Corp.
MARCS-CMS 585315 — September 06, 2019

FDA Warning Letter Issued to Processor of RTE Food

FDA Issued a Warning Letter to Flying Food Group, a group that makes RTE products for airlines.

Hazard analysis did not recognize Listeria as a hazard for exposed RTE product - ."....you did not appropriately evaluate environmental pathogens in accordance with 21 CFR § 117.130(c)(ii). You manufacture RTE foods that are exposed to the environment at several steps (e.g., meat slicing, produce cutting, batching, assemble product) where the food could be contaminated with environmental pathogens, such as L. monocytogenes, and the food does not receive a subsequent control for environmental pathogens."

Through FDA sampling, Listeria on food contact (zone 1) and adjacent areas (zone 2) -  "eleven environmental swabs collected by FDA during our most recent inspection were positive for L. monocytogenes. Of the eleven positive swabs, five swabs were collected from food contact surface areas, and six swabs were collected from areas adjacent to food contact surface areas."

There was no preventive control for Listeria - "As evidenced by environmental findings that indicate a resident strain of L. monocytogenes in your facility, environmental pathogens are a hazard in your facility; your sanitation controls (i.e., your SSOPs) are not adequate to ensure that your facility is maintained in a sanitary condition to significantly minimize or prevent the hazard of the environmental pathogen L. monocytogenes, as required by 21 CFR §§ 117.135(a)(1) and (c)(3)."

GMP issues 

• Did not clean your utensils or equipment as frequently as necessary to protect against allergen cross-contact and contamination of food - Exposed slices of meat were observed being stored on and in contact with the sides of a stainless-steel rack that contained visible debris.  Exposed single use food containers were observed stored inside crates that contained visible dirt and debris
• Employees were observed touching the sides of crates with visible debris without cleaning, sanitizing, or changing their gloves prior to handling bread slices used to make chicken & smoked bacon sandwiches.

Allergen not identified on Hazard Analysis even though different allergen groupings on shared equipment - You did not identify undeclared allergens and allergen cross-contact as a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard requiring a preventive control. Your facility manufactures various products with different allergen profiles on the same day and on shared equipment. Your hazard analysis in “FSQ 01-01, General Food Safety/HACCP Plan 080218” considers allergens as potential chemical hazards at the (b)(4) and “(b)(4)” steps, indicating that allergens do not require a preventive control.

Missing Supply Chain Preventive Control for Supplier-Washed Leafy Greens - washing of leafy vegetables and conveying leafy vegetables in water-based systems such as flumes. You have indicated that such washing/sanitizing is done by suppliers or inhouse. When done by suppliers, a supply-chain program would be required. In addition, for RTE produce that does not have a kill step, you should evaluate the need for a supply-chain program that addresses growing/harvesting by farms, which may be your suppliers or your supplier’s supplier.

FDA Warning Letter
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/flying-food-group-llc-581977-08122019
Flying Food Group, LLC 
MARCS-CMS 581977 — August 12, 2019

Florida Supermarket Closes Operations as State Finds Listeria Throughout Operation

A Florida grocery store closed its business after a reinspection by the State of Florida found Listeria throughout the operation.

"Samples collected on Sept. 9 found evidence of listeria bacteria on various surfaces around the store, leading inspectors to issue 15 stop-sale and stop-use orders. Inspectors last tested food samples from the Margate store on Aug. 6. Six samples were collected and no listeria was found. No illnesses have been reported."

Before it shut down, the store tried to sell of its product at fire sale prices.  Unfortunately, this included product that may have been subject to Listeria contamination.  This caused the State to issue an order to cease all operations.  Some of this product came from quarantined area.

It is a rare occurrence where a retail store is shut down by the State due to Listeria positive samples...it is also rare that a state department monitors Listeria in a retail operation to begin with.  In this case, the initial sampling occurred in the first quarter of the year with Listeria being found.  The retail established dumped product and resumed operations.  In September, the store was respected and Listeria was found again.  Easy to guess that if the State had sampled a month after the initial sampling, they would have found it.

South Florida Sun Sentinel
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-penn-dutch-immediate-shut-down-20190919-itojdrhlpndtni7xs2366k2bwi-story.html
State shuts down Penn Dutch in Margate for ‘endangering public health’ over listeria
By Doreen Christensen
South Florida Sun Sentinel |
Sep 19, 2019 | 8:22 PM

CDC Report - Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks United States, 2017 Annual Report

CDC issued report of foodborne illness in the U.S. -  Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks United States, 2017 Annual Report.
 Highlights

• In 2017, 841 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported, resulting in 14,481 illnesses, 827 hospitalizations, 20 deaths, and 14 food product recalls.
• Norovirus was the most common cause of confirmed, single-etiology outbreaks, accounting for 140 (35%) outbreaks and 4,092 (46%) illnesses. Salmonella was the next most common cause, accounting for 113 (29%) outbreaks and 3,007 (34%) illnesses, followed by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, which caused 19 (5%) outbreaks and 513 (6%) illnesses, and Clostridium perfringens, which caused 19 (5%) outbreaks and 478 (5%) illnesses.
• Mollusks (41 outbreaks), fish (37), and chicken (23) were the most common single food categories implicated. The most outbreak associated illnesses were from turkey (609 illnesses), fruits (521), and chicken (487).
• As reported in previous years, restaurants (489 outbreaks, 64% of outbreaks for which a single location of preparation was  reported), specifically restaurants with sit-down dining (366, 48%), were the most commonly reported locations of food preparation associated with outbreaks.