Federal health officials are taking too long to enforce recalls of potentially harmful or adulterated products—leaving consumers at risk for illness or death—because FDA does not have adequate policies or procedures to ensure companies take swift action. In a recent nut butter recall linked to a Salmonella outbreak and a cheese recall linked to Listeria monocytogene contamination, 165 days and 81 days passed, respectively, from the date FDA identified the adulterated product to the time the manufacturer issued a recall, government officials report.
According to the preliminary findings revealed in an ongoing audit conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG), FDA is allowing some food safety investigations to stretch out for weeks without a recall, despite new legal authority granted to the agency under FSMA that can compel companies to initiate a recall.