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The FDA reported that Nestlé Purina PetCare Company recalled some lots of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) prescription dry dog food due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. Purina received two separate confirmed reports of a dog exhibiting signs of vitamin D toxicity after consuming the diet, to date. Once taken off the diet, each of these dogs recovered. The affected dry dog food was distributed throughout the United States by prescription only through veterinary clinics, Purina Vet Direct, Purina for Professionals, and other select retailers with the ability to validate a prescription. Pet owners who purchased bags of the product listed above are asked to immediately stop feeding and throw it away in a container where no other animals, including wildlife, can get to it.@ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/nestle-purina-petcare-company-voluntarily-recalls-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-el-elemental-dry?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The FDA published a letter on their inspection of J.M. Smacker’s facility in Lexington, KY, on May 19, 2022, through June 9, 2022. The inspection was initiated after the outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg (S. Senftenberg) illnesses linked to your ready-to-eat (RTE) peanut butter. According to the CDC, 21 people from 17 states were infected with the outbreak strain of S. Senftenberg. The product was recalled on May 20, 2022. Based on epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence, the CDC and FDA determined that peanut butter manufactured at Smacker’s facility was the source of a multistate S. Senftenberg outbreak. During the joint inspection, investigators found serious violations of the CGMP and PC rules. The investigators determined that the product was prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions. WGS identified five 2022 clinical isolates from ill people that matched environmental samples collected in 2010 from the Kentucky facility, indicating a resident strain. Smucker finished product testing records from January 1, 2021, to February 23, 2022, indicating that they detected Salmonella in the RTE peanut butter numerous times and that the corrective actions taken were insufficient to address the root cause of the contamination.@ https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/jm-smucker-llc-638042-01242023

According to an analysis, nature publication claims that the use of antibiotics in animal farming is a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance. It is expected to grow by 8% between 2020 and 2030 despite ongoing efforts to curtail its use. Many governments have struggled to make or enforce rules to decrease antibiotic usage. Calculating the amount of antibiotic use is problematic because countries do not publicly publish their antibiotic usage data, says the study’s co-author, Thomas Van Boeckel, a spatial epidemiologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). China currently uses more antibiotics in farming than any other country. Pakistan is expected to see the highest growth. 

The authors estimate that by 2030, the world will use around 107,500 tons of antibiotics in livestock per year, compared with just under 100,000 tons in 2020. Antibiotic use is highest in Asia, and China in particular, a trend that is expected to continue until 2030. The researchers also estimate that antibiotic use will grow the fastest in Africa, rising by 25% between 2020 and 2030 owing to increased demand for meat products. @ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00284-x

On February 6, 2023, a letter authored by the American Frozen Food Institute, Association of Food and Drug Officials, Consumer Brands Association, Consumer Reports, Environmental Working Group, International Fresh Produce Association, STOP Foodborne Illness, and Western Growers was published in Food Safety News. The authors view the creation of a deputy commissioner position with line management authority over the current CFSAN and the functions of ORA’s state partnership office as an essential step forward. However, they find that the proposal does not answer the concern of the Reagan-Udall Foundation (RUF) report. The signees are concerned that organizational fragmentation will continue within the newly proposed structure. They raised many questions about the proposed structure and would like to meet with the commissioner. Among the questions raised is the question of the deputy commissioner management authority, how will ORA’s operation be transformed? Will the deputy commissioner be responsible for the formulation and execution of the entire food program budget? Will the deputy commissioner have management authority over the whole organization? Would the deputy commissioner have complete access to all ORA food-related data systems and authority to redesign ORA data collection and analysis systems to meet the needs of the Human Foods Program? @ https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/02/coalition-has-many-questions-about-how-fda-commissioner-will-protect-consumers-with-new-organizational-chart/