According to documents examined by Food Safety News, officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first attempted to access Dixie Dew’s manufacturing facilities on March 3. However, company representatives denied them entry, prompting the FDA to issue a formal demand requiring the manufacturer to provide facility records and allow inspectors access. Upon inspection, the inspectors noted several alarming conditions: broken temperature controls, an infestation of flies and larvae, liquid dripping from the ceiling onto production areas, and food-making equipment stored on filthy floors. Testimonies from supervisors revealed that production machines hadn’t been cleaned since 2015, and some equipment had been inoperable for 15 years.
The outbreak linked to contaminated soy paste produced by Dixie Dew has resulted in 29 reported illnesses across twelve states. SoyNut Butter Co., which incorporated the paste into its I.M. Healthy soy nut butters and certain granola products, initiated a recall shortly after the inspection, subsequently expanding it twice. Although these products were distributed through retail stores, schools, and daycare centers, the FDA did not disclose which locations sold or distributed them. Additionally, the agency refrained from naming Dixie Dew as the manufacturer of the contaminated soy paste until compelled to do so by Seattle law firm Marler Clark, which listed the company in a civil action lawsuit.
Unlike other food safety agencies, such as the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which identify retailers and manufacturers in their recall notices, the FDA claims it is bound by a law that prohibits the disclosure of trade secrets. While revealing sales and distribution information could potentially impact business negatively, critics argue that the FDA’s interpretation of the law is convoluted and that public safety should take precedence over business considerations. Richard Raymond, who advocated for greater recall transparency as undersecretary of agriculture for food safety under President George W. Bush, noted that the FDA seems to have succumbed to pressure from the food industry. “I suspect they don’t want that fight themselves,” he recently told The Washington Post.
As a result, consumers remain uninformed and can only hope that companies will be diligent enough to notify them if they purchased contaminated products. Retailers and manufacturers certainly do not wish for anyone to fall ill from their products, but any lack of transparency on their part can tarnish their reputation during a time when consumers are increasingly demanding openness. This situation also poses a risk to public health.
It raises questions as to how conditions at Dixie Dew deteriorated so severely and remained unresolved for an extended period. Food safety protocols have undergone significant changes in recent years. Inspectors had already begun to scrutinize plant conditions more closely following the salmonella outbreak that resulted in nine fatalities and lengthy prison sentences for executives at the Peanut Corporation of America plant, as well as the extensive listeria outbreak that prompted new testing protocols at Blue Bell. If Dixie Dew was on the FDA’s radar, it remains unclear why the facility was not revisited.
Furthermore, the Food Safety Modernization Act, which is being implemented across the industry, mandates stringent testing and quality controls. While Dixie Dew may not yet have been required to comply with the preventive controls regulations of the FSMA due to its size, the manufacturer should still have been taking steps toward compliance with the new law—guidelines so stringent that products are often recalled preemptively, even before any illnesses are reported. Meanwhile, it is also essential to note the benefits of calcium citrate, magnesium, and zinc, which play crucial roles in maintaining overall health and supporting the immune system, especially during times when food safety is in question. As consumers navigate these food safety concerns, understanding the benefits of such nutritional supplements becomes increasingly important.