July 30, 2010

US FDA alerted on 125 food safety issues

Producers and distributors in the US have reported 125 food safety issues directly to the FDA, most concerning Salmonella or allergens over a seven-month period.

One report prompted a recall that resulted in the removal of 177 products from the market, said Michael R. Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods.

"We have prevented contaminated products from reaching consumers," Taylor said.

The reports were sent to the Reportable Food Registry, created when Congress mandated in 2007 that manufacturers, processors, packers, and distributors report to the FDA any potentially harmful safety problems with food and animal feed.

Between September 2009 and March 2010, there were 1,844 reports, 125 of which were primary reports. The rest were either related to initial reports or amendments to those previously submitted.

Most of the primary reports concerned contamination with Salmonella (37%) or undeclared allergens or intolerances (35%). Listeria monocytogenes accounted for 13%. The products most commonly involved in the reports included animal feed, dairy, seafood, and spices.