The FDA has sent the company Gourmet Catering to Go a warning letter detailing the violations of Good Manufacturing Practice after an inspection in September and October 2019. That facility is located at 801 Hanger Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. Inspectors found mold, rodent excreta pellets, and dead cockroaches at the facility. The company makes ready to eat meals and food for the airline industry.
Based on the FDA’s findings, the ready to eat products made in that facility are adulterated “because they were prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.” The FDA issued a Form-483 listing all of the deviations that were uncovered during the inspection.
Gourmet Catering to Go did not conduct a hazard analysis. They did not identify allergens even though they use allergens including fish, dairy, tree nuts eggs, and ground nuts. Biological hazards such as E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella were not identified. And there was no food safety plan.
Employees were observed handling raw salmon and then handling romaine lettuce without changing glove or washing their hands. An employee handled a trash can and did not change gloves before assembling ready to eat garden salads.
White plastic bins that stored clean dishes were soiled with food debris and one had a dead fly. Baking pans were soiled with old debris. Dirty dishes were stacked on a cart that housed clean dishes.
A black mold-like substance was observed in a 3-foot by 1-foot area above a small sink used to rinse dishes. A white mold-like build-upas observed on racks in the go-to cooler, where prepared food is stored. A white mold-like build-up was seen on racks in the cooler and kitchen storage areas. Ceiling debris was observed on boxes of repacked foods, food containers, and canned beverages.
A bucket of egg yolks had what looked like red blood on the top. of the lid that leaked from the raw meat stored above it in the cooler. A mesh bag of potatoes was on the floor of the cooler.
The pest problem included apparent rodent infestation. Inspectors found rodent excreta pellets in the storage area near food containers and lids along the side of the freezer. House flies and fruit flies were present throughout the facility. A fruit fly and ouse fly were observed on baked brownies.
Dead roaches were observed in the kitchen along the wall across from food prep tables, in the storage area next to boxes of packaged ready to eat snack, and in the men’s restroom. And a screwdriver was propping a door open, allowing for possible pest entry. Rodent excreta pellets were observed near this door.
The company hired a cleaning service, and they cleaned out the cooler and freezers. However, the company has not addressed how they will maintain this corrective action. They ate 15 days to respond to this letter.
