FDA WARNING_LETTER - Martin Star Dairy - September 09, 2014

On November 14, 2014, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Martin Star Dairy following investigations on July 24 and September 9, 2014. The letter identified violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Specifically, a bob veal calf sold by Martin Star Dairy on December 3, 2013, and slaughtered on December 5, 2013, was found to be adulterated. USDA/FSIS analysis revealed sulfamethazine residues of 13.101 ppm in liver tissue and 8.345 ppm in muscle tissue. While a tolerance of 0.1 ppm exists for sulfamethazine in uncooked edible tissues of cattle, this tolerance does not apply to pre-ruminating calves (bob veal calves), for which there is no acceptable residue level. This violates section 402(a)(2)(C)(ii) of the FD&C Act, as the food contained an unsafe new animal drug.

Additionally, the FDA found that animals were held under insanitary conditions, specifically a failure to identify and segregate medicated animals, increasing the likelihood of harmful drug residues entering the food supply. This constitutes adulteration under section 402(a)(4) of the FD&C Act.

Martin Star Dairy was instructed to take prompt action to correct these violations and establish procedures to prevent recurrence. A written response detailing corrective actions