For more than 2 1/2 years, management at the Colton, California facility of McCain Foods USA ignored positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, choosing to ship the potentially contaminated vegetable and fruit products without conducting confirmation tests.
This pattern of behavior was discovered during an internal audit at the manufacturing location, according to information in the FDA’s Weekly Enforcement Report released yesterday.
“During an internal audit at the manufacturing location, it was discovered that finished product had been released on numerous occasions after receiving presumptive positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella; confirmation was not conducted,” according to the FDA report.
Testing for pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella involves multiple stages. The “presumptive positive” first stage indicates the possibility that a food sample may contain the pathogen. A second, confirming stage to identify the microbe is standard laboratory operating procedure.
McCain’s Colton manufacturing facility was most recently inspected by the Food and Drug Administration in January, according to information in the…
