TX Food Firm Fails To Verify Foreign Supplier

The Food and Drug Administration sent letters of warning to Texas and California food suppliers for failing to verify foreign suppliers.

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requires food being imported into the United States to be verified that it is safe and in compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety health and labeling requirements.

The FDA warned J&R Produce Inc. in Houston that it did not follow the FSVP for any of the foods it imported, including serrano peppers, husk tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers.

In a March food inspection, an investigator with the FDA found that J&R Produce Inc. did not adequately demonstrate that its foreign food supplier is producing the food with the same level of public health protection as required by domestic food suppliers.

“This letter notifies you of our concerns and provides you an opportunity to address them. If you do not adequately address this matter, we may take further action,” said the FDA in a warning letter to J&R Produce Inc. “For instance, we may take action…to refuse admission of the food you import for which you appear to be in violation…”

Additionally, in June, the FDA warned a food firm in California about similar violations of the FSVP.

“During the most recent inspection, we found that you were not in compliance with the requirements…for the following foods you import,” read the warning letter. The foods included processed enoki mushrooms (also called nametake mushrooms), processed shitake mushrooms, dried enokitake mushrooms, and prepared bamboo shoots.

“Based on documents provided to FDA, the prepared bamboo shoot … is as an acidified food,” wrote the FDA. “However, your FSVP did not include documentation that you considered whether your supplier had complied with the applicable FDA food safety regulations, such as the regulations for acidified foods … which may include filing with FDA a scheduled process…to control the biological hazards identified in your hazard analysis.”

Warning letters sent by the FDA to food suppliers are often not made public until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to the warning letters.