To: BSE-L@uni-karlsruhe.de
######## Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy #########
USA BSE/TSE TRIPLE FIREWALLS SEEPING IN 2004...TSS
Public Health Service
Food and Drug Administration
San Francisco District
1431 Harbor Bay Parkway
Alameda, CA 94502-7070
Telephone: 510/337-6700
VIA HAND DELIVERY
Our Reference No. 1000123954
June 23, 2004
Ronald M. Foster, Manager
Randall C. Boyce, Manager
Trevor O. Foster, Manager
George P. Foster, Manager
Fresno Farming LLC
P.O. Box 457
1000 Davis Street
Livingston, California
WARNING LETTER
Dear Mssrs. Foster, Boyce, Foster, and Foster:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an inspection of
your medicated animal feed mill operation, Fresco Farming LLC, located
in Traver, California from April 14, 2004 through May 6, 2004, and found
significant deviations from the requirements set forth in Title 21, Code
of Federal Regulations, Section 589.2000 (21 C.F.R. 589.2000) - Animal
Proteins Prohibited in Ruminant Feed. The regulation is intended to
prevent the establishment and amplification of Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE). Because you failed to follow this rule, products
you manufactured and distributed are adulterated within the meaning of
Section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act)
because they were prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions
whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.
Our inspection found the following violations of 21 C.F.R. 589.2000:
1. Failure to provide for measures to avoid commingling or
cross-contamination of products that contain or may contain protein
derived from mammalian tissues into animal protein or feeds that may be
used for ruminants to comply with 21 C.F.R. 589.2000(e)(1)(iii).
* Your firm uses a vacuum system to clean up spilled product in the
tunnel area. This tunnel area houses the two receiving conveyor
systems and the elevators for the two conveyor systems. When
product, including ruminant meat and bone meal, is spilled onto
the floor of this area, the spilled product is vacuumed up by the
vacuum system and, via a discharge hose, was placed into a
conveyor system that your firm had designated as free of ruminant
meat and bone meal. Your firm admitted that it was unaware of the
vacuum system discharging into the conveyor systems designated as
free of ruminant meat and bone meal and that this had been in
place since April 2003. Your firm remedied this problem during
FDAs April/May 2004 inspection by removing the discharge hose
connection to the conveyer system that your firm had designated as
free of ruminant meat and bone meal .
* Your firm uses a dust collection system that pulls dust from
systems that receive both ruminant meat and bone meal and feed
ingredients intended for ruminants. This dust system then
discharged collected product back into the two conveyor systems
via a cross connection, thereby making it likely that ruminant
meat and bone meal became commingled with ruminant feed
ingredients. Your firm admitted that it was unaware of the cross
connection and that it had been in place since April 2003. Your
firm removed the cross connection during FDAs April/May 2004
inspection.
2. Failure to maintain written procedures specifying the clean-out
procedure or other means, and specifying the procedures for separating
products that contain or may contain protein derived from mammalian
tissue from all other protein products from the time of receipt until
the time of shipment, to comply with 21 C.F.R. 589.2000(e)(1)(iv). This
observation was also noted during FDAs July/August 2003 inspection of
your firm.
* There are no written procedures for separating products that
contain prohibited material from ingredients used in ruminant
feeds from the time of receipt until the time of shipment.
* The written procedure for cleaning out or flushing equipment after
mixing feeds containing prohibited material was not adequate to
prevent contamination of ruminant feed with prohibited material.
3. Failure to maintain records sufficient to track materials that
contain protein derived from mammalian tissues throughout their receipt,
processing, and distribution to comply with 21 C.F.R. 589.2000(e)(1)(i).
This observation was also noted during FDAs July/August 2003 inspection
of your firm.
* Specifically, your firm has failed to develop and implement
complete written procedures to separate ruminant meat and bone
meal from feed ingredients intended for ruminants from the time of
receipt until the time of distribution. The written procedures
that do exist fail to address the use of equipment common to
ruminant meat and bone meal and ruminant feed ingredients.
The above is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of deficiencies at
your facility. As a manufacturer of materials intended for use as animal
feed, you are responsible for assuring that your overall operation and
the products you manufacture and distribute are in compliance with the law.
You should take prompt action to correct these violations, and you
should establish a system whereby such violations do not recur. Failure
to promptly correct these violations may result in regulatory action
without further notice, such as seizure and/or injunction.
You should notify this office in writing within fifteen (15) working
days of receiving this letter of the steps you have taken to bring your
firm into compliance with the law. Your response should include an
explanation of each step being taken to correct the violations and
prevent their recurrence. If corrective actions cannot be completed in
fifteen (15) working days, state the reason for the delay and the date
by which the corrections will be completed. Include copies of any
available documentation demonstrating that corrections have been made.
Please send your reply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
Attention: Ms. Harumi Kishida, Compliance Officer, 1431 Harbor Bay
Parkway, Alameda, California 94502-7070. If you have questions regarding
this letter, please contact Ms. Kishida at (510) 337-6824.
Sincerely,
/s/
CD Moss, Acting DD for
Barbara J. Cassens
District Director
San Francisco District
cc:
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
C. Michael Blasco, Feed Mill Manager
Fresno Farming LLC
P.O. Box 430
Traver, California 93673
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4849d.htm
Public Health Service
Food and Drug Administration
Chicago District
550 West Jackson Blvd., 15th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60661
Telephone: 312-353-5863
July 12, 2004
WARNING LETTER
CHI-16-04
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Mr. Donald E. Hamilton, President/Owner
Illini Feeds, Inc.
P.O. Box 86, 1145 State Hwy. 94
Aledo, Illinois 61231
Dear Mr. Hamilton:
On February 19 and 20, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
conducted an inspection of your animal feed handling facility located at
1145 State Highway 94, Aledo, Illinois. The inspection found significant
deviations from the requirements set forth in Title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 589.2000 (21 CFR 589.2000) - Animal Proteins
Prohibited in Ruminant Feed. This regulation is intended to prevent the
establishment and amplification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
(BSE). The deviations cause the swine feed manufactured by your facility
to be misbranded within the meaning of Section 403(a)(1) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act).
Our investigation found that salvaged pet food containing prohibited
material was added as an ingredient to the swine products manufactured
at your facility. During the inspection, our investigator found that you
failed to label your non-ruminant products with the required caution
statement - Do not feed to cattle or other ruminants. [21 CFR
589.2000(d)(1)]
The above is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of violations. As
a manufacturer of materials intended for use in animal feed, you are
responsible for assuring that your overall operation and the products
you manufacture and distribute are in compliance with the law.
You should take prompt action to correct this violation, and you should
establish a system whereby such violations do not recur. Failure to
promptly correct this violation may result in regulatory action without
further notice, such as seizure and/or injunction.
During the inspection, you told the investigator that you would put the
required cautionary statement on your products that contain prohibited
material, and maintain tracking documents for all incoming ingredients,
including animal proteins prohibited in ruminant feed. Please notify
this office in writing within 15 working days of receiving this letter
of any further steps you have taken to assure that your firm is in
compliance with the law. Your response should also include an
explanation of each step taken to correct the violations, and prevent
their recurrence. Please include copies of any available documentation
such as written procedures, corrected labeling, etc., demonstrating that
corrections have been made. If corrections cannot be completed within 15
working days, state the reason for the delay and the date by which the
corrections will be completed.
Your reply should be directed to Paul A. Boehmer, Compliance Officer, at
the above address.
Sincerely,
/s/
Scott J. MacIntire
District Director
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4840d.htm
Public Health Service
Food and Drug Administration
Chicago District
550 West Jackson Blvd., 15th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60661
Telephone: 312-353-5863
June 15, 2004
WARNING LETTER
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Mr. David W. Bernauer
CEO and Chairman of the Board
Walgreen co.
200 Wilmot Rd.
Deerfield, IL 60015
Dear Mr. Bernauer:
Inspection of your firms warehouse at 5100 Lake Terrace N.E., Mt.
Vernon, Illinois, by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 25, 26, and 27, and
March 2, 2004, documented numerous insanitary conditions which caused
the food and drug products stored there to become adulterated.
Our inspection showed that the food and drug products stored and held at
your facility violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the
Act), rendering them adulterated. These adulterated fwd and drug
products: a) consisted in whole or in part of filthy substances,
including rodent fecal pellets, rodent hair, and insects, in violation
of Section 402(a)(3) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 342(a)(3)]; and/or b) had
been held under insanitary conditions whereby they have become
contaminated with rodent filth, in violation of Sections 402(a)(4) and
501(a)(2)(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 342(a)(4), 351(a)(2)(a)].
Evidence of rodent activity documented throughout the old and new
warehouse included dead mice in traps, excreta pellets, and gnawed paper
material observed in, on, and near food and drugs stored in the
warehouse. Rodents gnaw holes were observed into several packaged food
products with rodent hairs at gnaw holes into products. Many more fecal
pellets were on food and drug packages and still more were found near
the stored foods, drugs, and cosmetics in the warehouse.
Other conditions observed during the inspection that could be
contributing factors to rodent infestation include damaged and/or poorly
fitting rail and truck dock doors, gaps around a conduit entry into the
building, and the structural condition of the concrete and expansion
gaps at floor/wall/support beam junctions in various areas of the
warehouse allowing the entry or harborage of pests. Additionally, the
investigators observed cobwebs, dead insects, dust, debris, product
spillage, and papers in the warehouse, indicating a general lack of good
sanitation practices.
Also, products that contain or may contain animal protein prohibited
ruminant feed (BSE material) failed to bear the caution statement, Do
not feed to cattle or other ruminants. Specifically, pet food products
were salvaged, repackaged, and donated to [redacted] and other similar
organizations in the area, without the proper labeling and agreement
that they would not be used for ruminants. Please refer to Title 21,
Code of Federal Regulations, Section 589.2000, concerning these
requirements.
Our laboratory confirmed the findings of rodent excreta, rodent hairs on
product gnaw holes, and rodent gnawed fibers (packaging material)
sampled from the warehouse during the inspection.
The above listed violations are not intended to be all-inclusive. It is
your responsibility to assure adherence with each requirement of the Act
and its implementing regulations. The investigators reported that you
destroyed food products that showed evidence of contamination and began
to take some steps to correct the insanitary conditions in your
facility. We request that you take prompt action to correct all violations.
Please provide this office, within 15 working days of receipt of this
letter, a detailed response stating the actions you plan to take and
have taken to correct and prevent the recurrence of these objectionable
conditions. Provide the time within which corrections will be completed,
reasons why any corrective action cannot be completed, and documentation
to show that corrections have been made. Failure to take prompt action
to correct all violations may result in regulatory action without
further notice. Such action includes seizure and/or injunction.
Your reply should be directed to Paul A. Boehmer, Compliance Officer, at
the Chicago District Office.
Sincerely,
/s/
Scott J. MacIntire
District Director
cc:
Stephen J. Lawrence,
Distribution Center Manager
Walgreen Co.
5100 Lake Terrace NE
Mount Vernon, IL 62864-9665
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4853d.htm
USA BSE GBR SHOULD BE GBR III, but someone dropped the ball...
TSS
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