FDA WARNING_LETTER - Knobbe Cattle Company Inc. - March 17, 2023

On May 31, 2023, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Knobbe Cattle Company Inc. following an inspection on March 15 and 17, 2023, of their custom-feeding cattle feedlot operation. The inspection revealed violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Specifically, on September 8, 2022, the company sold a beef cow for slaughter that was found to be adulterated. USDA/FSIS analysis of tissue samples from this animal identified desfuroylceftiofur at (b)(4) ppm in the kidney tissue, exceeding the FDA tolerance of 0.4 ppm. This constitutes adulteration under 21 CFR 556.113(b)(1)(i) and sections 402(a)(2)(C)(ii) and 512(a)(4)(B) of the FD&C Act.

The inspection also found that the company holds animals under conditions where medicated animals with potentially harmful drug residues are likely to enter the food supply. This was evidenced by the failure to implement procedures for reviewing treatment records prior to shipping the cow, leading to its sale for slaughter before the proper meat withdrawal time. This renders the food adulterated under section 402(a)(4) of the FD&C Act.

Furthermore, the company used EXCEDE® (Ceftiofur Crystalline