FDA 483 - Sparboe Farms, Inc. - May 12, 2011

During an FDA inspection conducted from May 9-12, 2011, Sparboe Farms, Inc., a shell egg producer located in Hudson, CO, received a Form FDA 483 citing several observations of non-compliance. The observations primarily highlight deficiencies in practices aimed at preventing contamination and ensuring product safety, particularly concerning Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) control. Key issues included a lack of procedures to prevent cross-contamination when sharing equipment, such as brooms and skid loaders, between poultry houses without proper cleaning and disinfection. The company's Salmonella Prevention Program also failed to address this critical aspect. Inspectors noted inadequate record-keeping for pest control measures, specifically the absence of fly monitoring documentation. Furthermore, the facility showed a failure to prevent stray animals from entering poultry houses, evidenced by a significant hole in bird netting. Sparboe Farms also utilized an unapproved method, hydra-sponges, for environmental testing to detect SE, deviating from standard or equivalent accurate methods. Lastly, essential records related to rodent and refrigeration monitoring lacked the firm's location. These observations indicate areas where the company's operations did not meet regulatory expectations for shell egg producers. To address these findings, Sparboe Farms, Inc. is required to implement corrective actions, including revising protocols for equipment sanitation, enhancing pest and animal exclusion measures, ensuring proper SE environmental testing methods are used, and maintaining comprehensive and accurate records to achieve compliance with applicable food safety regulations.