FDA Drops The Ball On Foster Farms Recall
By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online
The FDA has not officially published a recall notice for Foster Farms chicken products, despite hundreds of illnesses since the summer of 2013
An internet search for an official FDA recall notice regarding recent issues with Foster Farms has yielded no results. However, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been well aware of this outbreak. 524 people have been sickened with an antibiotic resistant strain of Salmonella in 25 states and Puerto Rico. 37 percent of those infected required hospitalization, though no deaths have been reported. Here’s an abbreviated version of the timeline:
2013
June 17: Cluster of illnesses, mostly in California, reported by PulseNet to the CDC. Rare Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern of Salmonella Heidelberg identified
June 28: FSIS is notified by the CDC of its multi-state investigation
July 18: Five different clusters of Salmonella Heidelberg (PFGE Patterns #1 through #5) are combined into a single investigation with a high proportion of ill persons reportedly consuming Foster Farms chicken
July 30: Outbreak Response Team’s test results from CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) lab matches PFGE Patterns #1 and #2, stressing common antibiotic resistance
August 6: Intact leftovers from ill persons in Washington State tests positive for PFGE Pattern #4 and traces back to Foster Farms
August 9: Foster Farms is made aware of the link during a joint conference call with the FSIS and CDC
Oct 7: FSIS issues “Notice of Intended Enforcement” to Foster Farms and concurrently issues a “Public Health Alert”, advising consumers to handle chicken safely
Oct 8: The CDC posts the first announcement on the web regarding the investigation
Oct 12 & 17: FSIS issues a news release of a Class I recall for 23,136 cooked rotisserie chickens sold at a single Costco store, citing potential cross-contamination after cooking.
2014
Apr 7: CDC posts Multistate Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg Infections Linked to Foster Farms Brand Chicken
There are a number of glaring facts — it took almost two months for the illnesses to be traced back to Foster Farms and it was another two days before Foster Farms was informed. Two full months later, the “enforcement” notice and Public Health Alert are issued and the CDC posts it on the web.
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Six months later it finally makes the headlines. If there is one example that points to the need for a better system for transparency, accountability, traceability, and improved safety within our food chain, this is it.