Appalling Food Distributor Conditions

This one is a shocker! I’ve been reading warning letters for years, but I’ve never seen one this bad with rodent, pest, and cat issues.

In May, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) issued a Cease Operation and Blanket Quarantine order for a food and cosmetic product distributor. Even though they held and distributed finished products but did not manufacture them, they still have a responsibility to ensure the facility is clean and safe. This warning letter shows appalling conditions of rodent, insect, and animal activity. Wow, just wow!

From warning letter. “An apparent rodent was observed exiting a bag of corn meal and running across an investigator’s shoe.”

From warning letter. “FDA collected and analyzed the following samples from areas in the warehouse for filth analysis and found the samples demonstrated the presence of rodent excreta pellets, rodent hairs, cat/dog hairs, and various species of insects (adult stage).”

From warning letter. “A dead apparent rodent was observed on the warehouse floor near where your live pet cat was standing.”

From warning letter. “A domestic cat was observed roaming freely in the warehouse during the inspection…. cat feces was observed on top of pallets containing card board cases of candy in the disposal staging area and on the floor in-between two pallets containing cardboard cases of instant fortified breakfast cereals for older children and adults.”

From warning letter. “Apparent rodent gnaw holes and marks were observed on food packaging (e.g., cardboard cases, poly bags) in your warehouse on multiple dates during the inspection”

From warning letter. “Throughout the inspection, harborage conditions of clutter (e.g., binders/books, clothing, luggage, unused pallets, expired food, etc.) were observed along the north wall.”

Asa comments: Ensuring there are no harborage conditions and pest entry points is an important part of pest control. During bi-monthly GMP readiness checks, we would walk around the warehouse to ensure there were no pest entry points, weeds, or bird nests for pests to party in.

From warning letter. “Damaged ceiling in the freezer room allowing rainwater to enter the warehouse interior.”

Asa Comments: Listeria is a real concern, and standing water creates a hospitable environment for this dangerous pathogen.

Read the warning letter for yourself.  Crazy town.