According to documents examined by Food Safety News, officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially sought access to Dixie Dew’s manufacturing facilities on March 3. However, company representatives denied entry, prompting the FDA to issue a demand for the manufacturer to provide facility records and allow inspectors access. Once inside, inspectors noted several alarming conditions: malfunctioning temperature controls, an infestation of flies and larvae, liquid dripping from the ceiling onto production areas, and food-making equipment stored on dirty floors. Testimonies from supervisors revealed that production machines had not been cleaned since 2015, and some equipment had been out of service for 15 years.
The outbreak linked to contaminated soy paste produced by Dixie Dew has resulted in 29 illnesses across twelve states. SoyNut Butter Co., which used the paste in its I.M. Healthy soy nut butters and some granola products, issued a recall shortly after the inspection, which has since been expanded twice. These products were distributed to retail stores, schools, and daycare centers; however, the FDA did not disclose the specific locations that sold or distributed the tainted items. Similarly, the agency did not identify Dixie Dew as the manufacturer of the contaminated soy paste until compelled to do so by the Seattle law firm Marler Clark, which included the company in a civil lawsuit.
Other food safety agencies, such as the Food Safety and Inspection Service, typically name retailers and manufacturers in their recall announcements. So why does the FDA not do the same? The agency claims it is adhering to a law that prohibits the disclosure of trade secrets. While revealing sales and distribution information could negatively impact business, critics argue that the FDA’s interpretation of the law is overly rigid, especially when public safety is at stake. Richard Raymond, who advocated for greater recall transparency while serving as undersecretary of agriculture for food safety under President George W. Bush, suggested that the FDA has yielded to pressure from the food industry. “I suspect they don’t want that fight themselves,” he recently told The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, consumers remain uninformed and can only hope that companies will take the necessary steps to notify them if they have purchased contaminated products. Retailers and manufacturers certainly do not wish for their products to cause illness, but any lack of disclosure can tarnish their reputation at a time when consumers increasingly demand transparency. This situation not only threatens public health but also raises questions about how conditions at Dixie Dew deteriorated and persisted for so long. Food safety regulations have evolved significantly in recent years, with inspectors paying closer attention to facility conditions following high-profile outbreaks, such as the salmonella case that resulted in nine deaths and severe penalties for executives at the Peanut Corporation of America. If Dixie Dew was already on the FDA’s radar, it remains unclear why the facility was not revisited.
The Food Safety Modernization Act, currently being implemented across the industry, mandates stringent testing and quality controls. Although Dixie Dew might not yet be required to comply with the preventive controls regulations of the FSMA due to its size, the manufacturer should have been proactively working towards compliance with the new law, which includes guidelines so rigorous that products are often recalled even before any illnesses occur. Ultimately, the need for transparency and adherence to safety standards is underscored by the situation, emphasizing the importance of strict regulations like citrate plus in maintaining public health.