Milling & Baking News - February 21, 2023 - 12

TUES | 02 21 202 3
Kerry agrees to record-setting
fine in Salmonella case
PEORIA, ILL. - Kerry Inc. on Feb. 3
pleaded guilty to a charge that it manufactured
ready-to-eat breakfast cereal
under unsanitary conditions at a facility
in Gridley, Ill. The plant was linked to a
2018 outbreak of Salmonella that involved
Kellogg's Honey Smacks.
As part of its guilty plea in the federal
court in Peoria, Kerry agreed to pay a
criminal fine and forfeiture amount
totaling $19.228 million. If accepted by
the court, the $19.228 million fine and forfeiture
would constitute the largest-ever
criminal penalty following a criminal
conviction in a food safety case, according
to the US Department of Justice.
" Kerry regrets the unacceptable practices
and failures that occurred at Gridley, "
Kerry said. " Arising from the issues, conduct
and practices that occurred there, the
company made the decision to permanently
close the plant. The company also undertook
a comprehensive review of its food
safety practices, policies and oversight, with
a particular focus on ensuring adherence to
group standards and governance.
" Though the issues at Gridley were
plant-specific in nature, Kerry has invested
and continues to invest significantly in all
aspects of its food safety and quality
processes and to further embed
safety as a central pillar in
everything that it does. "
Justin D. Green, assistant
commissioner for the Food
and Drug Administration's
Office of Criminal Investigations,
added, " Today's
announcement should serve as
a reminder that food manufacturers
have a critical responsibility to produce
and sell food that is safe for American consumers
to eat. We will continue to pursue
and bring to justice those who put the public
health at risk by allowing contaminated
foods to enter the US marketplace. "
According to the DOJ, recently unsealed
criminal information alleged Kerry manufactured
Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal
under unsanitary conditions and distributed
it in violation of the Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act. According to the plea deal,
Ag groups share concerns on
biotech regulations
WASHINGTON - Several grain and oilseed
coalitions recently submitted comments
to the White House Office of Science and
Technology (OSTP), calling for more transparency,
better communication and broader
accountability by government agencies in
the development and commercialization of
genetically engineered products.
The North American Millers' Association
along with the American Frozen Food
Institute, the Corn Refiners Association,
the Institute of Shortening and Edible
Oils, the National Grain and Feed Association,
the National Grocers Association,
the National Oilseed Processors Association
and the North American Export
Grain Association collectively submitted
a letter on Feb. 3 listing comments and rec12
MILLING
& BAKING NEWS
ommendations in response to a request
by the OSTP to help identify ambiguities,
gaps, inefficiencies and uncertainties in
the current Coordinated Framework for
the Regulation of Biotechnology.
Last updated in 2017, the Coordinated
Framework is the federal policy offering
guidelines for regulating the development
and commercialization of bioengineered
products. Its intent is to ensure safety standards
are upheld for humans, animals and
the environment through the coordinated
efforts of the US Department of Agriculture,
the Food and Drug Administration
and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In their comments, the agricultural
groups affirmed their support for the utilization
and advancement of biotechnology,
tests performed as part of Kerry's environmental
monitoring program found
numerous instances of Salmonella in the
environment at the Gridley facility.
" During the time period June 2016 to
June 2018, routine environmental tests
detected Salmonella in the plant approximately
81 times, including at least one positive
Salmonella sample each month, "
the DOJ said. " According to the
plea agreement, employees
at the Gridley facility routinely
failed to implement
corrective and preventative
actions (CAPAs) to address
positive Salmonella tests. "
" In June 2018, the FDA and
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) announced
that an ongoing outbreak of salmonellosis
cases in the United States could be
traced to Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal
produced at Kerry's Gridley facility. In
response, Kellogg's voluntarily recalled
all Honey Smacks manufactured at the
plant since June 2017. The CDC eventually
identified more than 130 cases of salmonellosis
linked to the outbreak, with
illness onset dates beginning in March
2018. The CDC did not identify any deaths
related to the outbreak. " MBN
but they expressed concerns.
The groups recommended changes to the
Coordinated Framework, including mandatory
notification and transparency, which
would require all companies developing
biotech products to notify the FDA and
make their information public. The groups
said the companies also should inform the
FDA when a genetically engineered trait
contains an allergen, and the framework
should give the FDA allergen oversight on
these traits as well as mandate the FDA's
review of the biotech products' claims.
The groups also recommended involving
additional agencies like the Agricultural
Marketing Service, the Foreign
Agricultural Service and the Office of
the US Trade Representatives within
the Coordinated Framework to support
international marketability of innovative
technologies as well as help define government
strategies to overcome potential
non-science-based barriers. MBN
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Milling & Baking News - February 21, 2023

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