Snokist, a Yakima, Washington business that supplies $50 million per year in processed fruit, some of it to baby food companies and schools, has been "reprocessing" moldy applesauce for distribution. The practice has landed them in hot water with the FDA.
Earlier this year, a voluntary recall of Snokist products ensued after some North Carolina students got sick from eating Snokist applesauce. The cause of the tainted food was a packaging issue. An FDA inspection that followed revealed Snokist has been taking moldy product and "reworking" it, by heat treating and mixing it with good product.
Unfortunately, the reprocessing of tainted food isn't what the FDA has its underwear in a wad about. The FDA allows "reconditioned" food. It's not what they are doing that's the problem, it's how they are doing it. Snokist recently received a sternly worded letter from the FDA informing them that they weren't complying with all the requirements for reprocessing moldy product, citing inadequate testing.
In the warning letter, the FDA spells out a long list of violations by Snokist. Following is just a portion of them:
1. To comply with 21 CFR 110.80(b)(9), if you recondition food that is adulterated within the meaning of the Act you must use a method proven to be effective, or you must reexamine the food and determine it is no longer adulterated. However, your firm reprocesses moldy applesauce product contained in compromised aseptically packaged flexible laminated bags using a method that is not effective against all toxic metabolites produced from the mold, and does not reexamine the food and determine it is no longer adulterated. Several foodborne molds may be hazardous to human health because of their ability to produce toxic metabolites known as mycotoxins. Most mycotoxins are stable compounds that are not destroyed by heat treatment. Even though the generating organisms may not survive the heat treatment, the preformed toxin may still be present.
Eight instances were identified in your firm's records, from January 2010 through December 2010, where your firm reprocessed organic apple puree and applesauce due to mold using a method that is not effective against all toxic metabolites produced from the mold, and did not reexamine the food and determine it was no longer adulterated:
a) On January 13, 2010, nine totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans due to the presence of white and/or brown mold.
b) On January 14, 2010, 13 totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans due to the presence of white, brown, and/or green mold.
c) On January 15, 2010,18 totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans due to the presence of white and/or brown mold.
d) On January 21, 2010,12 totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 and 15-ounce cans due to the presence of white and/or brown mold.
e) On January 22, 2010,15 totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans and 15-ounce cans due to the presence of white, brown, and/or green mold.
f) On January 26, 2010, two totes of applesauce and three totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into 15-ounce cans due to the presence of black, green, and/or white mold.
g) On February 26, 2010, one tote of applesauce and seven totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans due to the presence white, brown, and/or gray mold.
h) On December 10, 2010, seven totes of organic apple puree were reprocessed into #10 cans due to the presence of white, brown and/or green mold.
In your response letter dated June 22, 2011, you provided a revised Rework Policy, dated June 21, 2011. We acknowledge that you now plan to conduct patulin testing for any product that exhibits mold contamination. Your Rework Policy does not address how you will reexamine reconditioned/reworked product for other preformed toxic metabolites that cannot be destroyed by heat treatment.
In a response to a recent MSNBC report on Snokist, the company website explains
Our rework policy requires all compromised totes to be evaluated before any rework is done. If rework occurs, the product is checked for patulin, a mycotoxin that can form in apple products. If patulin is present, the product is destroyed. Finished product containing rework product is also checked for the presence of patulin. To date, test results on all finished product containing rework have shown no detectable levels of patulin.
But they do not address the FDA's concern about mycotoxins other than patulin.
I'm happy the FDA is all over this, but I'd feel better if they weren't allowed to "recondition" food in the first place.
Meanwhile, I'm sticking with fresh apples.