FDA WARNING_LETTER - Farmer John Egg Enterprises, Inc. - January 17, 2013

On July 19, 2013, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Farmer John Egg Enterprises, Inc., following inspections from January 8-17, 2013, at their Panama Ranch and Cottonwood Ranch facilities in Bakersfield, CA. The inspections revealed serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation regulation (21 CFR Part 118), rendering their shell eggs adulterated under Section 402(a)(4) of the FFD&C Act and in violation of Section 361(a) of the PHS Act.

Key violations included: 1. Failure to implement written SE Prevention Plans with adequate biosecurity measures for equipment and personnel movement (21 CFR 118.4(b)(2), 118.4(b)(3)). 2. Failure to prevent wild birds from entering poultry houses, with observations of numerous birds and insufficient nest removal (21 CFR 118.4(b)(4)). This was a repeat violation from a June 2011 inspection. 3. Failure to implement SE Prevention Plans with appropriate rodent and fly monitoring methods, define acceptable activity levels, and maintain complete monitoring records (21 CFR 118.4(c)(1), 118.4(c)(2), 118.10(