USDA more vigilant following strawberry scare
April 17, 1997
Web posted at: 11:17 p.m. EDT (0317 GMT)
In this story:
From Correspondent Eugenia Halsey
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Contaminated strawberries grown in Mexico
made 187 school children in Michigan sick not long ago and
forced thousands more in five other states to be immunized
against the hepatitis A virus.
Word that the berries were from Mexico caught a lot of people
off-guard, since U.S. government regulations say all food
bought through the national school lunch program must be
grown in the United States.
At a congressional hearing Thursday, officials from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture said violations of the rule are
rare, but they are taking additional steps to ensure they
will be followed in the future.
"Additional information will be required of contractors when
they certify to the domestic origin of their products," Mary
Ann Keeffe of the USDA said. "And this documentation will be
reviewed before shipment is permitted."
In addition to tightening vendor certification and conducting
random audits, the USDA's marketing service has begun
requiring information such as packing dates, lot numbers,
country of origin and a variety of identifying marks on all
shipments.
"Basically, we're laying out a road map so that we're able to
fully trace back the origin of the product," said Deputy
Administrator Ken Clayton.
Clayton also said the service is emphasizing the USDA
domestic-origin policy and the penalties for violating it.
USDA officials admitted there were rumors in January that the
company that processed the berries, Andrew & Williamson Sales
Co. of San Diego, might be processing and distributing
Mexican berries. They said, however, that the agency didn't
have a chance to follow up on the report.
That explanation sounded lame to Rep. Dale Kildee,
D-Michigan, who said, "It seems to me that would have been
an alarm bell and that you should have responded."
Officials say they still don't know the source of the
contamination. It may have occurred during processing in
California, but they said it is clear that the conditions
under which the berries were grown in Mexico were less than
sanitary.
"These included open, unlined pit privies (toilets)
immediately adjacent to the fields," said Fred Shank of the
USDA. "There were too few facilities for the crews to
practice proper sanitation practices. There were no
hand-washing facilities."
USDA officials said that, as the processor of the berries,
Andrew & Williamson is still being investigated for possible
violations.
Providing false statements concerning the origin of a product
is a criminal offense punishable by fines and up to five
years in prison. Civil penalties include losing federal
contracts and losing the license to sell perishable
agricultural commodities.
Although the Mexican government has denied the contamination
occurred in that country, USDA officials also said they plan
to meet with Mexican government officials soon to discuss
food-safety issues.
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