Flies “too numerous to count,” rodents, wild birds, maggots, and open piles of manure four to eight feet high were among the observations released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday, illustrating “significant objectionable conditions” at two Iowa egg farms responsible for the recent recall of over half a billion eggs.
With the release of the inspection reports for Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, FDA said the two companies failed to implement internal protocols and FDA egg regulations, which went into affect July 9.
The farms came under investigation after being linked to a sharp spike in Salmonella enteritidis illnesses between May and August. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 1,500 reported illnesses are likely linked to the outbreak.
Federal officials are still trying determine exactly how the disease-causing bacteria entered the large-scale egg facilities. The observational reports released yesterday indicate there are numerous possible modes of contamination.
“The firm failed to prevent stray poultry, wild birds, cats, and other animals from entering poultry houses,” said David Elder, director of the FDA’s Office of Regional Operations, of Wright County Egg, adding that in some cases large piles of manure pushed open entrances, allowing rodents and wildlife access to the poultry houses.
In over a dozen of the houses, investigators reported finding between two and five live mice per facility.
At Hillandale Farms, a water sample collected from “spent egg wash water”–water used to rinse the eggs–tested positive for a strain of Salmonella indistinguishable from the outbreak strain that has been isolated from people with salmonellosis.
Hillandale also showed evidence of a pest problem. Investigators noted dozens of rodent holes, as well as live mice, inside the facilities.
At both farms, FDA investigators witnessed uncaged, or escaped, hens tracking manure
from piles to the caged hen areas, providing an easy means of
contamination.
“Clearly the observations here reflect significant deviations from what’s expected,” said Mike Taylor, deputy commissioner for food at FDA, in a call with reporters yesterday.
Taylor emphasized that the agency believes enforcement of the new egg rule will help prevent similar incidents. “We think its going to be a powerful tool for preventing outbreaks like this in the future,” said Taylor. “It is their legal duty, now, to meet these standards.”
FDA is going to “very thoroughly” enforce the rule, said Taylor.
In the next 15 months the agency plans to inspect all of the approximately 600 egg firms currently under the rule–all firms with more than 50,000 laying hens–which make up about 80 percent of domestic egg production. Taylor said the inspections will begin in September.
Elder told reporters that “all options are under consideration” for enforcement actions against the companies, but explained that FDA does not comment on enforcement decisions before they are enacted. Injunctions and criminal prosecution are among the possibilities.
Longtime food safety advocate Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest called the agency’s findings “stomach-churning,” in a statement yesterday.
“FDA found rodents and wild birds in the facilities, and five of the Wright County Egg facilities had giant manure piles inside their buildings,” noted Smith DeWaal. “These violations are reminiscent of similar findings in another major outbreak linked to peanut butter.”
“Equally troubling is that the inspections occurred the month following the date that the new egg-safety regulation went into effect,” she added. “Both companies involved had been on notice that they needed to meet requirements of the new egg-safety rule for over a year.”
“The decrepit conditions in these hen houses reflect the fact that companies know that FDA inspections are so rare–even following the adoption of a new safety regulation–that there is no urgency to fix their buildings and their operations to assure compliance with FDA statutes and regulations,” she added.
FDA says the two farms have agreed to not sell shell eggs to consumers until the agency is confident the eggs are safe for consumption. Until the firms are given the go-ahead, eggs are being sent to “breaker” facilities to be pasteurized for use in processed foods and other consumer goods.
Both companies responded by saying they are acting quickly to correct problems identified by FDA. Wright County Egg said they have “worked around the clock” to address concerns raised during the inspection.
“To date, the vast majority of the concerns identified in the FDA report already have been addressed through repairs or other corrective measures,” said the company in a statement. “We anticipate the expeditious completion of nearly all remaining items by mid-September.”
Taylor said yesterday that FDA has no reason to believe that the conditions found at Hillandale and Wright County are indicative of the entire egg industry.
The inspection reports are available online for both Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg.
Late Friday night, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Cargill Inc. is recalling about 8,500 pounds of ground beef for possible E. coli contamination.
According to the USDA, two E. coli illnesses in Maine and one in New York prompted the recall. None of the three required hospitalization, a Cargill spokesman told CNN yesterday.
The recalled meat was processed at Cargill Meat Solutions in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. BJ’s Wholesale Club stores in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia are believed to have received the products.
The product was shipped June 11 to distribution centers, and was then repackaged and sold under various retail brand names. Public health officials have not identified the brands. The recalled product bears the USDA establishment number “EST. 9400,” a product code of “W69032″ and a “use/freeze by” date of July 1.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Services said it became aware of the problem on August 5, and eventually “determined that there is an association between the ground beef products subject to recall and the cluster of illnesses in the states of Maine and New York.”
The identified the strain in the ongoing outbreak and recall is E. coli 026, which can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in severe cases, kidney failure.
The recall is considered “Class I,” which means the the government has determined “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
USDA said Friday they “strongly encourage consumers to check their freezers and immediately discard any product subject to this recall.”
For more information on the specific labels, and, when available, the list of retail locations affected, see the FSIS recall page.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that Santa Fe Springs, CA-based Fruiti Pops, Inc. was recalling its Fruiti Pops 4 oz. Mmaey frozen fruit bars due to potential contamination with Salmonella Typhi.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the Fruiti Pops Mamey fruit bars, but the products are being recalled because they were made with frozen mamey pulp produced by Goya Foods, Inc. Goya Foods recalled its frozen mamey pulp earlier this month after it was found to be the source of a Typhoid fever outbreak.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans. Infection results from eating food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding Salmonella Typhi or if sewage contaminated with the bacterium gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food. Once Salmonella Typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream. The body reacts with fever, severe abdominal pain, and other signs and symptoms.
Most people who become ill with typhoid fever need to be hospitalized for antibiotic treatment. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of people, called carriers, recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Anyone ill with typhoid fever and carriers shed Salmonella Typhi in their feces (stool).
Anyone who has experienced diarrheal illness after consuming the mamey Fruiti Pops or frozen mamey pulp should consult a healthcare provider.
The recalled Fruiti Pops were distributed in California, Arizona, and Texas through distributorships that sell products to retail locations, mobile vendors, vending machines, or distribution outlets. The product comes in clear polypropylene packaging and is not labeled with lot numbers nor expiration dates. The UPC of the recalled product is 763734000097.
Consumers who have purchased Fruiti Pops 4 oz. Mamey fruit bars since May of 2009 can return the product to the place of purchase for a refund. If consumers have any questions regarding the recall can contact Fruiti Pops, Inc. at (562) 404-2568. Fruiti Pops, Inc. staff will be available Monday through Friday from the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to answer your questions.
Massive Egg Recall Prompts Hearing on Federal Food Safety System
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-MI) yesterday announced that the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on Sept. 14. scrutinizing the safety of the food supply “in light of the recent outbreak of Salmonella associated with eggs.”
The nationwide Salmonella outbreak, which has sickened at least 1,300 people, is linked to two Iowa companies, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, who together have recalled 550 million eggs this month.
The committee has asked Austin “Jack” DeCoster, the owner of Wright County Egg, and Orland Bethel, owner of Hillandale Farms to testify in the hearing. DeCoster has a long history of environmental, animal cruelty, and worker safety violations.
Wednesday, Waxman and Stupak sent letters to the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture requesting documents and information relating to the egg recall. Monday, the Chairmen requested documents on the Salmonella outbreak and voluntary egg recall from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. The letters specifically request any documents related to the alleged violations, which have been widely reported in the media.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), chair of the committee that oversees FDA and USDA appropriations, also sent a letter to both agencies this week asking why they did not take action against DeCoster farms, which operates Wright County Egg, in light of their longtime record of violations.
“Workers were forced to handle manure and dead chickens with their bare hands and to live in filthy trailers, state environmental laws were violated repeatedly, and the company failed to disclose its investment in egg operations in another state to avoid a background check,” writes DeLauro in her letter to the agencies. “This pattern of regulatory non-compliance by the DeCoster operations should have served as a warning to regulators and warranted additional scrutiny of the company’s ability to comply with food safety standards.”
DeLauro also wants to know what the FDA knew about DeCoster’s compliance with the newly-implemented egg rule, what role egg graders from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service may have had at the plant, and whether any recalled eggs were sold into federal nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program.
Lawmakers are widening the scope of their investigation into the nationwide recall of over 500 million eggs.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday asked both the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture for all inspection and testing records, since 2007, related to Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, which are both at the center of the recall linked to at least 1,300 cases of Salmonella.
The committee is also asking for copies of agreements, or memoranda of understanding between USDA and from Iowa state agencies that may be responsible for conducting inspections, including the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.
A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Agriculture told Food Safety News this week that the state relies on FDA and USDA for egg facility inspections.
Monday the committee wrote to Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, demanding more than five years of inspection records and internal protocol documents.
The committee said it wants all documents from both companies and the federal food safety agencies by Sept. 7. A hearing on egg safety and the Salmonella recall is considered likely when Congress returns from August recess.
Earlier this week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), chair of the committee that oversees FDA and USDA appropriations, sent a letter to both agencies asking why they did not take action against DeCoster farms, which operates Wright County Egg, despite numerous violations.
“Workers were forced to handle manure and dead chickens with their bare hands and to live in filthy trailers, state environmental laws were violated repeatedly, and the company failed to disclose its investment in egg operations in another state to avoid a background check,” writes DeLauro in her letter to the agencies. “This pattern of regulatory non-compliance by the DeCoster operations should have served as a warning to regulators and warranted additional scrutiny of the company’s ability to comply with food safety standards.”
DeLauro also wants to know what the FDA knew about DeCoster’s compliance with the newly-implemented egg rule, what role egg graders from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service may have had at the plant, and whether any recalled eggs were sold into the federal nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program.
Westchester County, NY Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Archbald announced this week that customers who purchased uncooked foods or sandwiches at Delgado’s Deli, otherwise known as J&D Deli & Catering, located at 173 Croton Avenue in Ossining, NY may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.
The exposure may have occurred between July 26 and August 9 because of an infected deli employee.
“Ongoing risk to the public is low,” Archbald said in a statement. “The employee is no longer infectious and is not at work. The Health Department learned today where the infected individual worked and has already begun making arrangements to provide post exposure treatment to household contacts and coworkers. Infectious disease and environmental health staff will continue to monitor the situation and the New York State Department of Health has been notified,” she said.
According to Commissioner Archbald, deli patrons who consumed uncooked food or sandwiches, including foods through the deli’s catering service on August 7 through August 9 could still benefit from post Hepatitis A exposure treatment.
A Westchester County press release explained that post-exposure vaccination helps avoid illness and must generally occur within fourteen days of exposure. That means anyone who possibly consumed contaminated foods between July 26 and August 6 may have been exposed, but would not benefit from the post-exposure vaccination. Those who consumed foods from the deli after August 9 have no potential for exposure.
The Commissioner’s statement explained that most cases of Hepatitis A are mild and resolve without any treatment. Those who suffer from symptoms such as extreme fatigue, fever, sore muscles, headache, pain on the right side of the abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite/weight loss, and yellowing of the skin or white part of the eyes should contact their health care provider.
Those potentially exposed could experience symptoms as early as August 10 and as late as September 10.
The commissioner reminded patrons that for those exposed on August 7, treatment must occur by Wednesday. Those exposed on August 8 and 9, treatment must occur by Monday at the latest.
Anyone who has had a Hepatitis A infection or Hepatitis A vaccine is protected from the virus. Persons who already have the vaccination should have a second dose of the vaccine in six months. According to the Westchester County Department of Health, guidance for medical providers will be posted on the Professional’s Corner section of the Health Department’s Website. Pregnant women who may have been exposed should contact their prenatal care provider about treatment.
