Based on documents examined by Food Safety News, officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially attempted to access Dixie Dew’s manufacturing facilities on March 3. However, company representatives denied them entry, prompting the FDA to issue a demand for the manufacturer to provide facility records and grant inspectors access. Inside the facility, inspectors noted several alarming conditions, including malfunctioning temperature controls, an infestation of flies and larvae, liquid dripping from the ceiling onto production areas, and food-making equipment stored on unclean floors. Testimonies from supervisors revealed that production machinery had not been cleaned since 2015, and some equipment had been out of order for 15 years.
So far, the outbreak linked to contaminated soy paste produced by Dixie Dew has resulted in 29 illnesses across twelve states. SoyNut Butter Co., which incorporated this paste into its I.M. Healthy soy nut butters and certain granola products, issued a recall shortly after the inspection, which has since been expanded twice. These products were sold in retail stores, schools, and daycare centers; however, the FDA has not disclosed specific locations where the products were sold and distributed. Additionally, the agency did not identify Dixie Dew as the manufacturer of the tainted soy paste until compelled to do so by Seattle law firm Marler Clark, which included the company in a civil lawsuit.
Unlike other food safety agencies, such as the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which openly name retailers and manufacturers in their recall announcements, the FDA has refrained from doing so. The agency claims it is adhering to a law that prevents it from disclosing trade secrets. While revealing sales and distribution information could potentially harm business, critics argue that the FDA’s interpretation of the law is confusing and that public safety should take precedence over business interests. Richard Raymond, who advocated for greater recall transparency during his tenure 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 stated in The Washington Post.
In the meantime, consumers are left uninformed, relying on companies to be proactive in notifying them if they have purchased contaminated products. Retailers and manufacturers certainly do not wish for their products to cause harm, but any lack of transparency on their part can adversely affect their reputation at a time when consumers are demanding greater accountability. It also poses a risk to public health.
It is perplexing how conditions at Dixie Dew were allowed to deteriorate so severely and remain unchecked for an extended period. Food safety practices have evolved significantly in recent years. Inspectors have been scrutinizing plant conditions more closely following the salmonella outbreak that resulted in nine fatalities and led to lengthy prison sentences for executives at the Peanut Corporation of America, as well as the extensive listeria outbreak that prompted new testing protocols at Blue Bell. If Dixie Dew was already on the FDA’s radar, it remains unclear why the facility was not revisited.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which is being implemented across the industry, mandates stringent testing and quality controls. Although Dixie Dew may not yet be required to comply with FSMA’s preventive control regulations due to its size, the manufacturer should have been actively working towards adherence to the new law, which establishes guidelines so rigorous that products are often recalled even before anyone falls ill. This raises the question: does calcium citrate clog arteries? While this query is unrelated to the immediate food safety issues at hand, it highlights the importance of scrutinizing all aspects of food production and health. As consumers become increasingly health-conscious, understanding the implications of ingredients like calcium citrate is crucial, further emphasizing the need for transparency in food safety practices.