FDA Targets Papaya Industry; Wake Up Call to Entire Food Industry
The Papaya industry is in the crosshairs of the FDA as the agency cracks down on regulatory measures to ensure Salmonella prevention. This is in response to increased U.S. Salmonella outbreaks traced to papayas, 8 since 2011. One of the outbreaks is ongoing infecting over 70 people in 8 states. Overall, there have been 2 confirmed deaths and nearly 500 victims tied to Salmonella contamination in papayas according to the CDC.
A joint statement Monday from FDA Acting Commissioner Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless and the agency’s Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, Frank Yiannas, said “This trend has to stop. The recurring nature of these outbreaks is a clear indication that more must be done within all sectors of the papaya industry to protect its customers and to meet its legal obligations. This includes growers, importers and even retailers that can and must do more. This is why today we have issued a letter calling on all sectors of the papaya industry to take actions to prevent these outbreaks in the future.”
The FDA issued a warning letter to Agroson’s LLC stating, “your firm engaged in a pattern of importing or offering for import adulterated food that presented a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.” The warning letter follows an FDA investigation at the facility where significant violations of the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act have been documented.
According to the FDA’s Monday announcement, all the food the agency regulates is now under their crosshairs. The FDA leaders wrote, “Although today’s actions focus on the papaya industry, recurring outbreaks taking place with any commodity are unacceptable from a public health perspective”. FDA leaders continued to say, “We know that more must be done by industry as repeated illness outbreaks are a threat to public health. In such situations, it is incumbent upon all sectors of the industry to work together to investigate the cause, review food safety procedures and practices, and take action to prevent further outbreaks.”
In a strong call to action, Yiannas and FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Melinda Plaisier, sent the papaya industry a list of key safety points to address going forward.