A Small Entity Compliance Guide

FDA is alerting the public to the expanded, voluntary recall by Union International Food Company of sauces, oils, and oil blends sold under the Uncle Chen and Lian How brands.

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today executed an inspection warrant at Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. (Westco/Westcott), an Irvington, N.J.-based company. Westco/Westcott did not provide access to distribution documents and declined to recall products after an FDA request. Regulated companies are required by law to grant FDA entry for inspection, as well as provide access to distribution records. The FDA does not have authority to compel companies to recall food products, such as peanuts.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat Strubs Norwegian Style Sliced Smoked Steelhead Salmon in 300 gram packages because of potential contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death.

The FDA contracted to conduct an external letter review of the report “Draft Risk Profile: Hepatitis A Virus Infection Associated with Consumption of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting the public to a voluntary recall by Union International Food Company (Union City, Calif.) of the company’s dry spice products. The recall is based on an investigation of an ongoing foodborne illness outbreak of Salmonella Rissen. This investigation is being conducted in collaboration with state health officials in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The company’s products are distributed in these states and Arizona.

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume any peanuts or peanut-derived products sold by Irvington, New Jersey-based Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. (Westco/Westcott) due to possible Salmonella contamination. Peanuts in such products may have been distributed by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which recalled the peanuts because of concern about Salmonella contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising retailers and food service operators not to offer for sale oysters harvested between Feb. 24 and March 17, 2009, from Mississippi Area 2C, located in the Mississippi Sound portion of the Gulf of Mexico near Pass Christian, Miss. Further, consumers are advised not to eat such oysters. Consumers who are uncertain about the origin of oysters they currently have should contact the place of purchase to determine if the oysters are from the affected area as the Agency investigates an outbreak of norovirus illnesses associated with the oysters. Norovirus is a foodborne pathogen that can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans.

FDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently published the
Prior Notice of Imported Food Final Rule and a draft compliance policy guide that
outlines the agencies’ enforcement policies regarding the final rule. The final rule
amends the existing Prior Notice Interim Final Rule, which has been in effect since
December 12, 2003.