The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a complaint filed at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US alleged that Mary Parrish, doing business as Fort Massac Fish Market, violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Fort Massac Fish Market agreed to be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. Parrish said she no longer processes or distributes food.
Under the terms of the consent decree, Parrish may not resume processing or distributing food before taking steps to ensure its safety and receiving FDA authorization.
The firm received raw fish eggs, also known as shovelnose sturgeon (hackleback) and paddlefish (spoon bill) roe and prepares, processes, packs, holds and distributes the roe as salted, ready-to-eat caviar, mainly to a wholesale customer in New York.
FDA inspections find poor sanitation
Two FDA inspections in 2016 revealed poor sanitation practices, including failures to sanitize hands, utensils and food surfaces; insect residues and a pet dog in the facility.
Boxes containing pails used by the firm to hold caviar contained what appeared to be dead cockroaches.
Some of these pails had filth and what appeared to be speckles of insect excrement and cockroach egg casings on their exteriors.
Parrish also failed to ensure temperature of ready-to-eat caviar remained at a level low enough to control Clostridium botulinum growth and toxin formation, which can cause botulism.
The firm did not do quarterly water phase salt testing, as required by its HACCP plan, to verify the hazard of C. bot growth and toxin formation in ready-to-eat caviar was being controlled.
The complaint states that FDA warned Parrish of the violations in April 2016 but observed similar deficiencies during a December 2016 inspection.
Melinda K. Plaisier, FDA associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, said Fort Massac Fish Market put people at risk of serious food poisoning by violating food safety regulations.
“The FDA took action to protect public health by requiring that the defendant cease operations until they can demonstrate that they can produce food that meets important safety requirements.”
Seafood HACCP
The complaint was filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
It said Fort Massac Fish Market failed to comply with seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations designed to mitigate hazards associated with processing of fish and fishery products.
Chad A. Readler, of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said consumers should be able to trust food is produced under safe and sanitary conditions.
“Where food manufacturers prepare food using substandard practices, the Department of Justice will work aggressively with the FDA to enforce our nation’s food safety laws.”
US Attorney Donald S. Boyce for the Southern District of Illinois, said the public should be able to trust the food they buy is safe.
“We will continue to work with the FDA to combat and deter conduct that leads to the distribution of contaminated food.”