A cheese manufacturer in Michigan and a seafood processor in New Jersey are on the receiving end of warning letters that are among the last for the year. The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Preferred Freezer Services of Atlanta, LLC, located in Chatham, NJ, about its frozen shrimp being adulterated because of the conditions in which it is being prepared and packed. “Sulfiting agents, commonly utilized to prevent “black spot” on shrimp, are substances that are of particular concern with the frozen shrimp products you repack,” says the warning letter. “People sensitive to sulfiting agents can experience symptoms that can range from mild severity to life-threatening reactions. As such, your firm does not have a HACCP plan to control the food safety hazard of undeclared sulfiting agents associated with the shrimp you repack and we are not aware of controls that you have implemented for controlling the hazard, “ it continues. “As a shrimp repacker, it is pertinent that your firm implement controls to routinely determine whether the shrimp you receive, repack, and further distribute contain sulfiting agents. In the event the products contain these agents, you must implement controls to ensure that the products are properly labeled as containing such prior to your firm distributing them.” FDA is also concerned about the lack of documentation for sanitary practices in the facility. The Farm Country Cheese House Inc., located in Lakeview, MI, received a longer warning letter. It was provided with a list of “serious violations” that includes processes and controls, sanitation, plant and equipment, utensils and personnel. In addition, these five beef and diary farms received warning letters for exceeding drug residue tolerance levels—CLA-COR Farms LLC, McCormick Family Dairy, LLC; Reliance Dairy LLC; Conrad Shada; and Gary Manternach Farm. A 15 days period is usually provided to respond to FDA warning letters, which typically follow recent inspections where violations have been found. Editor’s note: Thanks to an alert reader (see below), this article was changed to include the fact that two beef operations were warned about drug residue levels. (To sign up for a free subscription to
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