Tyson Foods has defended conditions at its Forth Worth facility following a warning by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over alleged unsanitary conditions at the plant.
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In a letter posted on the agency’s website yesterday (1 December), the FDA said it found “serious violations” of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation at the Fort Worth site.
Inspectors investigated the plant in August and said they had found shrimp and crab meat that was thawing for 18 hours between 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The meat was being stored for the company’s Seafood Gumbo, the agency said in its letter to the company.
The agency also said the growth of bacteria that can cause food poisons is a “reasonably likely hazard” for food items stored in refrigerators at the incorrect temperatures.
Tyson , however, told just-food today that, contrary to the impression left by the FDA letter, its Fort Worth plant is “clean and sanitary and the products produced there are safe to eat”.
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By GlobalDataA spokesperson added that, “in addition to the FDA oversight”, there is a USDA inspector in the facility every day of production.
“We believe this is really a documentation issue involving the plant’s written food safety plan. FDA wanted us to document an existing temperature control procedure for thawing seafood used in some of our soups as a critical control point in our Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. We have implemented this documentation change,” the spokesperson said.
“In addition, the shrimp and crab meat FDA investigators observed being thawed at the plant was discarded and not used.”
Tyson’s Fort Worth plant is a prepared foods operation involved in producing soups, sauces and side dishes.
The FDA has warned Tyson that failure to “promptly” correct the violation may result in regulatory action without further notice, such as “seizure or injunction”.
