The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently sent warning letters to a seafood importer in NY, a seafood and pasta maker in MD and a dietary supplement manufacturer in NV. FDA’s New York District office in Jamaica, NY, sent a warning letter dated July 22 to H.A.R. Maspeth in Maspeth, NY, noting that inspectors visiting the premises in April and May of this year had found “serious violations” of seafood HAACP regulations. Specifically, FDA stated that inspectors found that dried squid slices offered for import were adulterated due to the presence of Salmonella. The product was consequently refused entry to the U.S., according to FDA’s letter. The company’s written response was reviewed, FDA added, but the agency found that the “promised corrective action could not be verified due to the lack of documentation supplied to demonstrate its implementation.” Casa di Pasta Inc. in Baltimore, MD, was sent a warning letter dated July 23 by FDA’s Baltimore District Office, which detailed alleged violations of seafood HACCP regulations, plus several labeling violations. FDA stated that the company did not have a written HACCP plan for its Seafood Ravioli “to control the food safety hazards of pathogenic growth and toxin formation, and undeclared allergens,” did not monitor the safety of water coming into contact with food or food contact services, and had other problems related to cleanliness and food storage practices. On July 25, FDA’s San Francisco District office in Alameda, CA, sent a warning letter to Mezotrace Corporation of Winnemucca, NV, detailing results of inspections conducted in August 2013. The letter indicated that “serious violations” of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations for dietary supplements were found at the facility, causing its Mezotrace Calcium/Magnesium Natural Minerals & Trace Elements with Vitamin D and Mezotrace Calcium/Magnesium Powdered Minerals Natural Minerals & Trace Elements to be adulterated. FDA also noted that the company’s products were being promoted online for conditions that cause those products to be drugs under federal regulations (“intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease”). The company’s written responses from September 2013 were reviewed and found inadequate by FDA officials because they did not sufficiently address quality control and holding and distribution operations. In each warning letter, FDA requested that the companies provide written responses detailing steps taken to comply with food safety laws and regulations, to correct violations cited in the letters, and to prevent their recurrence. Recipients of these warning letters have 15 working days from receipt to outline specific steps they have taken to come into compliance with the law.