Personal Injury Law

Tyson Foods Violations For Food Safety

By Jane Akre

Seafood Gumbo

Tyson Foods has received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration for 'serious violations' of food safety standards at its Fort Worth, Texas seafood soup manufacturing plant.

FDA inspectors allegedly found fish meat that was to go into seafood gumbo stored at temperatures between 40 – 55 degrees for about 18 hours. That temperature is not high enough to keep bacteria from growing.

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson says the shrimp and crab meat was not used in any company products.

'Our Fort Worth plant is clean and sanitary and the products produced there are safe to eat,' said the company in a statement. Tyson says its thawing procedures provide sufficient safety.

The FDA disagrees.

"Pathogen growth and potential toxin formulation is a hazard reasonably likely to occur in the absence of (temperature) control, consequently, the hazard needs to be addressed," according to the FDA letter, which is dated Nov. 13, reports AP.

Besides issuing warning letters, the FDA can take a company to court if the orders are ignored. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has initiated a new policy for faster letters out to violators and a shorter response time.

Tyson claims it has since updated its temperature control plan. #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on December 02, 2009 (boomark / email).