The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing final guidance on enforcement criteria for ackee products containing the toxin hypoglycin A. Ackee is a fruit native to West Africa but is also found in Central and South America, many Caribbean countries, and Southern Florida. Canned, frozen and other ackee products are marketed in the U.S., largely to people from Caribbean cultures, and most of the products are imported from tropical countries such as Jamaica, Belize and Haiti. In recent years, there has been interest by a processor in Florida to market ackee products in interstate commerce. The ackee fruit naturally contains the toxin hypoglycin A, which drops to negligible levels in the edible portion of the fruit when it is fully ripe. But when the product is improperly processed, concentrations can rise above 100 parts per million (ppm) and pose a health risk. So FDA’s final Compliance Policy Guide now recommends seizure or import refusal of canned, frozen and other ackee products that contain greater than 100 ppm of hypoglycin A. FDA’s district offices may detain, without physical examination, all ackee products offered for import, except for those from firms that are identified on a “Green List.” The firms on the Green List have demonstrated to FDA that they have food safety controls in place to ensure that only properly ripened ackees, without seeds or rind, are included in finished products. Interested parties can comment on the guidance beginning April 15.
