FDA WarningIn its latest round of letters sent to food producers with alleged health and safety violations, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doled out warnings to four seafood producers, two dairies, a vinaigrette producer, and a manufacturer of baked goods. Two seafood processors in Norway received warnings over problems related to their Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans. Sevrin Tranvag AS, based in Fiskarstrand, did not provide FDA with HACCP plans for any of its fish products. According to the agency, a seafood processor must have a HACCP plan in place for each type of seafood product it plans to produce. At the same time, Norwegian seafood processor, Brodr Remo AS, also based in Fiskarstrand, was told that its HACCP plans for its vacuum-packaged cold smoked salmon and trout products were not adequate. The company was asked to conduct an analysis of all the hazards likely to occur in relation to production of the products. Costa Rica-based seafood processor Rainbow Export Processing was also dinged for inadequacies in its HACCP plans, as was another overseas seafood processor, Sardina d.o.o., based in Croatia. Two farms were cited for problems related to illegal drug residues in cattle sold for slaughter. First, a dairy cow sold for slaughter by Leroy B. Horst Jr. of Cayuga, NY, was found to have 26 times the legal limit of ampicillin in tissue samples. Farm owners Peter and Dawn Erlwein of Jeffersonville, NY, were warned about selling a bob veal calf with residues from an antibiotic, ciprofloxacin, which is not permitted to be used on calves sold for slaughter. Bragg Live Food Products Inc. of Goleta, CA, was cited for mischaracterizing nutrient claims on the labels of its vinaigrette products. Specifically, the label makes several references to “health” and being “healthy,” but its nutrient contents do not meet the requirements to make those claims, FDA stated. Finally, Sina Bakery Inc. of Woodland, CA, was found to have “significant deviations” from FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices for manufacturing, holding or packing human food. Specifically, the company’s facilities were found to have significant violations related to insanitary conditions, including pests in food processing areas and bathroom and handwashing areas not meeting basic standards. Each company was given 15 days to respond to the concerns raised by FDA in the warning letters.