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Cracker Company Told to Fix Processing Facility

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Plain, butter, and garlic crackers from Miami's YeYa Products Corporation were adulterated because of conditions inside its food processing plant, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a Nov. 17 warning letter to the company.
During an FDA inspection last July, numerous violations were found including:
-- The ceiling over the area where cracker dough is placed to rise had a mold-like substance on it.  FDA said raw crackers could become contaminated from drops of steam that form on the moldy ceiling.
-- Uncovered barrels of cracker dough stored in the cooler were also exposed to mold growing on the door and ceiling.
-- Buckets of dough with wooden tops covered in accumulated dirt and organic material were found in the cooler.
-- Uncovered buckets of dough were also found.
-- Undiluted bleach was being used to clean mixers, risking putting a toxic in contact with food.
-- The conveyor belt was frayed and in places there were gaps.
-- A splintered wood box was being used to collect dough scraps, which was being recycled back into the roller to shape additional crackers.
-- Walls and ceilings contained uneven surfaces that collect dirt, dust, and other contaminants.
-- The floor contained holes and depressions that collect both dirt and standing water. Muddy puddles could contaminate carts carrying crackers.
FDA said it shared the FDA Form 483 with the inspection observations of its investigators with YeYa Products. 
 "These conditions cause your products, YeYa Plain, Butter and Garlic crackers to be adulterated... in that they had been prepared under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or may have been rendered injurious to health," the warning letter said.
YeYa was given 15 working days to respond to FDA with its plan for fixing the violations.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on December 20, 2010 (boomark / email).