The latest round of warning letters to food companies from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) went out to major food manufacturer Post Foods, two seafood companies, a juice processor, and a beverage company allegedly found to be using an unsafe food additive. FDA found that Post Foods LLC of Parsippany, NJ, has mislabeled its Post Great Grains Digestive Blend (Vanilla Graham) in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Specifically, the agency stated that the product bears health claims about disease prevention that are not authorized by FDA. Bebida Beverage Company of Moorseville, NC, manufactures a product called “Koma Unwind Liquid Relaxation,” which contains melatonin, a food additive not permitted in conventional foods and beverages. The product is also misbranded for displaying labeling as a “dietary supplement” despite being marketed and represented as a conventional beverage, FDA stated. FDA took issue with another beverage manufacturer, Stewart Brothers Inc. of Hood River, OR. An inspection of the Stewart Brothers facilities revealed “serious violations” of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) regulation for juice processors, the agency’s letter stated. Specifically, FDA found that the company did not have sufficient processes in place to guarantee the safety of a number of its juice products: 100-percent juice blends “Kale Apple Lemon Greens,” “Green Apple Greens,” and “Lemon Ginger Apple Greens.”

Hashimoto Shokuryo Kogyo Co. Ltd., a seafood processor of Osaka, Japan, was found to have serious deviations from the Emergency Permit Control regulation and the Thermally Processed Low-Acid Foods Packaged in Hermetically Sealed Containers regulation.

Specifically, the company needs to file a food canning registration with FDA, perform more thorough temperature records, and keep better records of a number of other processes, according to the warning letter.

Finally, Vita Foods Products Inc. of Chicago was found to have “serious violations” of seafood HACCP regulations. Specifically, the firm’s HACCP plan for Cold Smoked Salmon does not list the critical control points to control for pathogen growth and toxin formation as a result of time and temperature abuse, the agency stated.

In each letter, FDA requested that the companies provide written responses detailing steps taken to bring the facilities into compliance 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.