In the news

The FDA announced that Golden Gate Soy Products, a California-based food manufacturer, has agreed to discontinue selling food products until the company complies with federal regulations and other requirements. This action follows several inspections conducted by the FDA, which found Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono) in the company’s food preparation area and that the company was holding food for distribution in unsanitary conditions. Golden Gate Soy Products specializes in manufacturing a variety of tofu and soy-based products, including soy milk. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley for the Northern District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction on Nov. 22, 2019, between the U.S. and Golden Gate Soy Products Inc., and the company’s representatives, Yong Li Chen and Ling Hong Tang. The FDA is not aware of any confirmed illnesses related to these products. @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/california-based-food-manufacturer-agrees-stop-production-after-repeated-food-safety-violations

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the FDA are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A associated with exposure to contaminated fresh blackberries sold at Fresh Thyme Farmers Market grocery stores during September 2019. The patient count in a multi-state hepatitis A outbreak traced to fresh blackberries continues to rise, even though the berries were sold two months ago. As of November 26, 2019, a total of 14 outbreak-associated cases of hepatitis A were reported from 5 states. Of 13 people with available information, 8 (62%) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes for symptoms to appear after exposure (average 4 weeks). A single, common supplier of fresh blackberries has not been identified. The FDA and regulatory officials in several states have collected records from grocery stores where ill people reported buying fresh blackberries and are conducting traceback investigations to try to identify a specific source of the fresh blackberries. @ https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/2019/hav-berries/index.htm

The FDA sends warning letters to 15 companies for illegally selling products containing cannabidiol (CBD). The products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Based on the lack of scientific information supporting the safety of CBD in food, the FDA is also indicating that it cannot conclude that CBD is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for its use in human or animal food. The FDA is concerned that some people wrongly think that the myriad of CBD products on the market, many of which are illegal, have been evaluated by the FDA and determined to be safe. Some of the available data raise serious concerns about potential harm from CBD. CBD is marketed in a variety of product types, such as oil drops, capsules, syrups, food products such as chocolate bars and teas, and topical lotions and creams.  @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-15-companies-illegally-selling-various-products-containing-cannabidiol-agency-details?utm_campaign=112519_Statement_FDA%20warns%20companies%20for%20illegally%20selling%20various%20products%20containing%20cannabidiol&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that K2D Foods, doing business as (DBA) Colorado Premium Foods (Carrolton, GA) is recalling ~113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O103. The raw ground beef items were produced on March 26, March 29, April 2, April 5, April 10, and April 12, 2019.  These items were shipped to distributors in Port Orange, FL. and Norcross, GA for further distribution to restaurants. Unopened, intact ground beef collected as part of the ongoing investigation from a restaurant location, where multiple case-patients reported dining, tested positive for E. coli O103. At this time, there is no definitive link between this positive product and the ongoing E. coli O103 outbreak. Further traceback and product analysis continue to determine if the recalled products are related to the E. coli O103 outbreak. Many clinical laboratories do not test for non-O157 STEC, such as O103 because it is harder to identify than STEC O157:H7. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-047-2019-release