The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently posted on its website a Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2014. Comparing this summary with the summaries from 2013 and 2012, a few things immediately stand out. On a positive side, meat and poultry product recalls for pathogens (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella) and other contaminants collectively decreased in 2014 from years 2012 and 2013. However, on the negative side, there was a significant increase in recalls in 2014 for undeclared allergens and recalls classified as “other,” which upon closer examination, appear to be largely related to the failure of importers to present imported meat and poultry products to FSIS for re-inspection at the point of entry (otherwise known as a “Failure to Present” (FTP)). With these trends continuing into 2015, establishments should expect FSIS to respond aggressively.
Undeclared Allergen Recalls
Recalls for undeclared allergens rose from 25 in 2013 to 43 in 2014, a whopping 72 percent increase. Seven of the recalls in 2014, which occurred at the very end of the year, can be attributed to meat and poultry establishments purchasing cumin that were unknowingly contaminated with peanut protein. However, the rest appear to be situations where meat or poultry processors failed to properly identify and control incoming ingredients, failed to prevent cross-contamination during processing or failed to ensure that finished products were properly packaged and/or labeled. In short, these recalls were largely preventable.
FSIS has grown frustrated with the continued increase in recalls due to undeclared allergens and has vowed to take action. Last month, the agency advised the industry that it will be soon be issuing new instructions to inspection program personnel on how to verify that meat and poultry products are correctly labeled. The new instructions will purportedly contain additional inspection tasks related to label and formula reviews, and provide guidance on what can result in an undeclared allergen in product and what procedures can be adopted in an allergen control plan. Obviously, if undeclared allergens are found and product has entered commerce, the agency will request a recall.
In anticipation of these new instructions, establishments would be well advised to reassess their current allergen control programs and other procedures to ensure that meat and poultry products are properly labeled with all ingredients listed. This reassessment should be conducted in light of the FSIS “Compliance Guidelines for Allergens and Ingredients of Public Health Concern: Identification, Prevention and Control and Declaration Through Labeling.” These guidelines contain certain “best practices” identified by the agency for ensuring that hazards associated with ingredients of public health concern are properly identified, that they are prevented and/or controlled, and that all ingredients are properly declared on product labels. In addition to these guidelines, establishments should also consider guidance provided by the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program of the University of Nebraska regarding how to develop effective allergen control programs. Finally, our firm has posted a series of blogs entitled “Steps to Prevent Allergen Recalls – Practice Tips.”
Establishments should also anticipate that, with an increase in inspection tasks related to label review, there will be a heightened risk that inspection personnel will take regulatory control actions for perceived labeling deficiencies that do not arise to a public health concern. Given that a substantial amount of labels are generically approved these days, many establishments may not be able to point to an FSIS approved label to convince inspection personnel not to take action. To that extent, it would behoove establishments to get to know officials from the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff and maintain emergency contact information for these officials in the event that a labeling dispute arises with inspection personnel or there is a need for an emergency temporary label approval.
FTP Recalls
As noted above, 2014 also experienced a dramatic increase in FTP recalls – 6 in 2014 compared to 1 each in 2012 and 2013. Just two months into 2015, there have already been 7 FTP recalls.
Similar to the recalls for undeclared allergens, it is our understanding that most of the FTP recalls were avoidable. Pursuant to FSIS regulations, after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) verifies that imported meat and poultry product meets CBP and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service requirements and releases the shipment, the importer of record is required to have the product presented to FSIS for re-inspection at an official FSIS import inspection establishment. Unfortunately, in many of the recalls, the importer of record (or broker) failed to ensure that the product was delivered to an official FSIS import inspection establishment for re-inspection or the import inspection establishment inadvertently released the shipment in commerce without the requirement being met.
The increase in FTP recalls, however, is not solely attributable to an increase in mistakes by importers, brokers and import inspection establishments. Beginning about 7 months ago, FSIS began increasing verification of its import requirements by reviewing data in its Public Health Inspection System (PHIS) twice a week to identify potential FTPs. This increased verification directly correlates to the increase in recalls.
In response, FSIS has indicated that it will continue to, and potentially increase, its review of PHIS data in 2015 to detect FTPs. If a FTP is detected and product has already entered commerce (i.e., off-loaded at a location other than the official import inspection establishment or other approved located designated on the import inspection application), the agency will likely require the importer of record to conduct a Class I recall of any associated product. The agency can also withdraw inspection services at the official import inspection establishment until the establishment can provide additional measures to ensure imported product is re-inspected. Finally, the agency may request CBP to issue a Notice of Redelivery to the importer of record, broker and/or official import establishment demanding that the uninspected product be returned to the custody of CBP. If product is not redelivered to CBP, CBP can initiate action to assess penalties and liquidated damages (additional information regarding FTPs and the actions that FSIS will take in response can be found in the agency’s Prior Notification and Failure to Present: Compliance Guideline for Importing Meat, Poultry and Egg Products to the United States).
Given the increase in verification activities relating to FSIS import requirements and the consequences for failing to meet these requirements, importers of record, brokers and official import inspection establishments would be well advised to work together to implement a system of controls designed to ensure that all imported meat and poultry products are re-inspected at the point of entry. This should include measures to ensure that the importer of record or designated agent applies for inspection of imported product as far as possible in advance of the anticipated arrival of each consignment, but no later than when entry is filed with CBP, in accordance with FSIS’ prior notification requirement. It should also include improved means of communication between the respective parties regarding when amenable meat and poultry products may be in a shipment of product and thus require inspection. Finally, official import inspection establishments should consider implementing more stringent procedures for identifying and controlling imported meat and poultry product that are to be held pending FSIS re-inspection, such as the implementation of new inventory control systems designed to prevent meat and poultry product from being “released” from inventory until re-inspection is complete. Additional recommendations for adopting an effective hold or retention program can also be found here.
Following the basic recommendations above should go along way towards reducing the number of recalls for undeclared allergens and FTPs each year. However, if the industry ignores these recommendations and such recalls continue to rise, the industry should fully expect the agency to take additional measures to control what they view as a purely preventable situation.
