US: Listeria outbreak plant 'impossible to clean'
In March, the Food and Drug Administration inspected the Pasco, Washington, CRF Frozen Foods process…In March, the Food and Drug Administration inspected the Pasco, Washington, CRF Frozen Foods processing plant, which has recently been possibly linked to a Listeria outbreak. According to Food Safety News, the agency’s report was finally posted to its website on Thursday 12 May. The report found various unfavorable conditions at the plant, which the inspectors said “does not allow proper cleaning and maintenance”—which could be why the Listeria outbreak occurred.
Their findings included a chipped and cracked plastic shovel that was used to scoop up food. They also found chipped, cracked, and missing pieces of plastic on the onion production line; knives that were used to remove unwanted pieces of onions had initials etched into them; and blue tape that was being used to temporarily fix a cracked metal plate on a packing line where products meant for export were packed at the time of the inspection. All of this made the facility nearly impossible to clean.
CRF Frozen Foods has been connected to a massive listeria outbreak, and hundreds of products have been recalled as a result. The recalls affect frozen fruits and vegetables manufactured at the Washington facility since May 1, 2014 with Best By dates between April 26, 2016 and April 26, 2018.
“There is no proof that what was found in the report is linked to the [Listeria] outbreak,” a CRF spokesperson told Fortune. “There’s even a question that the outbreak itself was linked to CRF.” He added that the voluntary recall has been very well-managed, and was done out of an abundance of caution.