Federal officials reported that investigators found unsanitary handling and other food safety issues at Raw Farm LLC, a dairy company linked to the E. Coli O157 outbreak.
The outbreak has infected nine people across California, Texas and Florida.
According to a summary from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), inspectors found inadequate maintenance of equipment, lack of preventive controls, and unsanitary handling of products during processing and production. The agency issued a Form 483 inspection report requiring the company to take steps to correct the problems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified raw milk cheddar cheese manufactured by RAW FARM LLC as the suspected vector for this outbreak. A combination of epidemiological, limited traceback, and laboratory data identified raw cheese and raw milk from RAW FARM, LLC as the vector for the outbreak. A full range of causal testing through sampling and data collection was performed at three RAW FARM LLC locations.
In other outbreak news, In a July 15 release, the FDA reported that the number of patients in the Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak had increased to 69 from 51 a week earlier. The institution did not report the patient’s age or place of residence. The FDA has begun tracking efforts but has not reported which foods are being tracked. The agency first reported the outbreak on July 8.
In case of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak, The number of patients increased from 80 a week ago to 91. The FDA did not report the patient’s age or place of residence. The agency has begun tracking efforts but has not yet reported which foods are being tracked. The outbreak was first announced on June 8.
