A Maine food processing and storage company, Mill Stream Corp. of Hancock, Maine, has voluntarily destroyed cold smoked salmon under the supervision of the FDA.
Inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes on the company’s processing equipment and within the facility. Cold smoked salmon is a ready-to-eat food, and Listeria monocytogenes is an illegal adulterant in those products.
The FDA has this newly expanded authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The government ordered the detention of the product after Listeria was found at the plant during a December 2011 inspection. The FDA may, because of the FSMA, order the detention of food if an inspector believes the food is contaminated, adulterated, or misbranded. The detention orders can stay in place for 30 days.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the consumption of the salmon. Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious illness that can be fatal and can cause miscarriages and stillbirth in pregnant women.
