FDA WARNING_LETTER - Martin Feed Lot - January 05, 2010

On December 29, 2009, and January 5, 2010, the FDA investigated Martin Feed Lot in Harrisburg, Illinois, and found violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The investigation revealed that on or about July 7, 2009, a beef heifer sold for slaughter was found to have adulterated tissue. USDA/FSIS analysis on July 10, 2009, identified sulfamethazine at 38.855 ppm and flunixin at 0.1781 ppm in liver tissue. These levels exceed the FDA tolerances of 0.1 ppm for sulfamethazine and 0.125 ppm for flunixin, causing the food to be adulterated under Section 402(a)(2)(C)(ii) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C)(ii)].

Additionally, the feed lot held animals under insanitary conditions, likely leading to medicated animals with harmful drug residues entering the food supply, thus adulterating food under Section 402(a)(4) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 342(a)(4)]. Specifically, complete treatment records were not maintained.

Furthermore, the new animal drug flunixin was adulterated because it was used extralabelly without following approved labeling