Training for FSMA Sanitary Transport Rule

An article in Fleet Owner magazine highlights an online training course for complying with the FDA's Sanitary Transport Rule.  (yes, shameless self-promotion.)

Fleet Owner
https://www.fleetowner.com/regulations/helping-companies-meet-food-transportation-law
Helping companies meet food transportation law

Fleet Owner Staff | Aug 09, 2019
An online course now offered by Penn State Extension aims to help transportation personnel nationwide meet federal food safety requirements when transporting human and animal foods.

The course, “Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food,” can help shippers, loaders, carriers by motor or rail vehicle, and receivers involved in transporting human and animal foods understand the Sanitary Transportation Regulation, which is part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act — often referred to as FSMA.

The goal of FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation Regulation is to prevent practices during transportation that create food safety risks, such as failure to properly refrigerate food, inadequate cleaning of vehicles between loads and failure to properly protect food. The Penn State Extension course breaks down the regulation in a user-friendly format that provides an overview of food hazards and how the risk of those hazards can be minimized.

Using easy-to-follow videos and short readings, the self-paced, interactive course outlines how to safely transport food in all stages of the transportation process. Participants will learn about regulations, hazards associated with food during transportation, basic safety procedures, and company procedures and documentation. To receive certification, participants must pass four short quizzes with a minimum score of 80%.

FDA Issues First Warning Letter to Company on FSVP Requirements

FDA issued a Warning Letter to an importer that had imported tahini product that was linked to 6 cases of Salmonella infection  in June of 2019.  This was the first warning letter regarding FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program) requirements as part of FDA's FSMA regulation.

The FSVP regulation requires that importers perform certain risk-based activities to verify that human and/or animal food they import into the United States has been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. food safety standards.  This means that importer must have proof that the foreign processor has a Preventive Control Plan and can successfully controlled potential hazards.  In the case of tahini, the supplier must have process and environmental controls to prevent contamination from Salmonella.

In this report, FDA found that the firm had not developed an FSVP for sesame paste tahini manufactured by their supplier Karawan Tahini and Halva in the West Bank, but even more of an issue was that the firm was not familiar with FSVP requirements.

https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/brodt-zenatti-holdings-llc-583679-07302019
FDA Warning Letter
Brodt Zenatti Holdings LLC
MARCS-CMS 583679 — Jul 30, 2019

FDA Releases 2019 Testing Report for Yuma AZ Leafy Greens - No Pathogenic E.coli Found

FDA released the results of 2019 sampling of lettuce from the Yuma AZ region, which was the site of the 2018 E. coli outbreak (where over 200 become ill from eating contaminated Romaine lettuce).   In the 2019 sampling which began in mid-December of 2018, FDA "collected and tested 118 samples for each pathogen, with STEC and Salmonella spp. selected because they are the two pathogens most closely associated with leafy vegetables.[2], [3] Each sample consisted of 10 subsamples, and each subsample consisted of one head or two hearts (i.e., the center leaves) of romaine. The FDA did not detect any STEC of concern to human health, though it did find one non-pathogenic STEC strain. The FDA did not detect Salmonella spp. in any of the samples."

"The findings of this assignment suggest that there was no widespread Salmonella or STEC contamination of romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region during the period when sampling occurred. As a next step, the FDA is working with leafy green stakeholders in the Yuma region to consider a longer-term environmental study to identify and control risks that will prevent future outbreaks, with the ultimate goal of protecting consumers."

https://www.fda.gov/food/sampling-protect-food-supply/microbiological-surveillance-sampling-fy19-romaine-lettuce-commercial-coolers-yuma-arizona
Microbiological Surveillance Sampling: FY19 Romaine Lettuce at Commercial Coolers in Yuma, Arizona

Content current as of:  08/14/2019 

Company Recalls Cooked Poultry Products After Complaint Indicating Potential Undercooking

Taylor Farms Inc., a Chicago, Ill. establishment, is recalling approximately 342 pounds of breaded chicken products due to a processing defect that may have led to undercooking of products.  The problem was discovered when the recalling firm notified FSIS of a consumer complaint, however there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.  

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-083-2019-release
Taylor Farms Illinois Inc. Recalls Chicken Products due to Possible Processing Defect
Class I Recall
083-2019
Health Risk: High
Aug 9, 2019

Bagged Spinach Recalled After Positive Salmonella Test

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is  recalling a limited number of cases of baby spinach after a sample of Baby Spinach which yielded a positive result for Salmonella in a random sample test conducted by the Department of Agriculture in Michigan. At the time of recall notification, all product had already passed the expiration date. 

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/dole-fresh-vegetables-announces-precautionary-limited-recall-baby-spinach
Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Precautionary Limited Recall of Baby Spinach
Summary
Company Announcement Date: August 09, 2019
FDA Publish Date:  August 09, 2019
Product Type:  Food & Beverages   Produce
Reason for Announcement:  Potential Salmonella contamination
Company Name:  Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.
Brand Name:  Dole
Product Description:  Baby Spinach

PA Woman Who Relieved Herself in Store on a Bin of Potatoes Gets Off Easy

A 20 year old woman turned herself in to police after she was nabbed urinating on potatoes in Walmart.  She will be charged with “criminal mischief, open lewdness, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.”  I think that is a bit too light on the charges.

NY Post
https://nypost.com/2019/07/30/police-pop-woman-who-peed-on-potatoes-in-walmart/
Police pop woman who peed on potatoes in Walmart 
By Hannah Frishberg
7/30/2019

This Week in Mislabeled Products for Week Ending August 3, 2019

Allergens in Sub-ingredients Missed on Label - Ruleau Brothers Inc. of Stephenson, MI, is recalling its 8 ounce containers of "Door County Whitefish Smoked Whitefish Pate" because they may contain undeclared allergens of Egg, Soy, and Anchovies.  The recall was initiated after it was discovered during an FDA inspection conducted under contract by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development that the product’s labeling did not fully list all ingredients and sub-ingredients contained in the product. Some of these missing ingredients and sub-ingredients contained the allergens of Anchovy, Egg, and Soy.

Peanuts in the Chocolate Chip Cookies - JuJu Bakes, LLC, DBA The Cookie Dough Cafe of Bloomington, IL is recalling 15 cases of 1.6 ounce Chocolate Chip Chilled Gourmet Edible Cookie Dough Bars, because they may contain peanuts.  Allergen issue was found after an employee tasted peanut butter in a bar labeled chocolate chip. The employee sampling the item did not have a peanut allergy and did not experience a reaction. Her observation led to the recall of Lot #19177. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company's production and packaging processes.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/ruleau-brothers-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-eggs-soy-and-anchovies-door-county-whitefish-smoked
Ruleau Brothers Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Eggs, Soy, and Anchovies in "Door County Whitefish Smoked Whitefish Pate"

Soft Baked Cookies Recalled Due to Plastic Pieces Generated From Packaging Process

Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. is recalling Entenmann’s Little Bites Soft Baked Cookies (5 pack Mini Chocolate Chip variety) due to the potential presence of visible, blue plastic pieces in the individual packaging pouch. The plastic is not baked into the product since it was introduced during the packaging process. [so the plastic was generated by the packaging equipment / process.]
The company announced the recall after receiving consumer reports of visible, blue plastic pieces found on or packaged with the product. There are no reports of injury to date.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bimbo-bakeries-usa-voluntary-recall-entenmanns-little-bites-cookies-due-potential-presence-plastic
Bimbo Bakeries USA Voluntary Recall of Entenmann’s Little Bites Cookies Due to Potential Presence of Plastic Pieces
When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.
Summary
Company Announcement Date: August 01, 2019
FDA Publish Date:August 01, 2019
Product Type:Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Due to the potential presence of visible, blue plastic pieces
Company Name:Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.
Brand Name: Entenmann’s
Product Description:  Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Report on Listeria Sampling in Produce at Retail

Consumer Reports conducted tests of leafy greens from supermarkets and found Listeria in 6 of 284 samples. Do you stop buying leafy greens - No, the risk is extremely low.

Listeria is a common environmental microorganism and while certain strains can be pathogenic if present in sufficient number and are exposed to high risk populations, there has not been outbreaks from fresh leafy greens eaten as such. In this report, really only one of the sample organisms was deemed as pathogenic, but the level of organism present would not likely to be sufficient to cause an issue.

That said, the produce industry has been working to ensure the risk is minimized through basic GMPs and sanitation.  However, more work is needed to improve risk reduction of this organism in food operations including fresh produce.  More research is needed to better understand this organism in food operations as well as in retail operations.

Consumer Reports
https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/leafy-greens-with-listeria-sold-at-major-supermarkets/
Leafy Greens With Listeria Sold at Major Supermarkets
Consumer Reports found the bacteria in prewashed and unbagged products. Here's how to stay safe when eating greens.
By Trisha Calvo
July 26, 2019