Snellman Farms – FDA Warning Letter, Mar 9, 2012

On June 1, 2012, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Snellman Farms following an investigation on March 6, 7, and 9, 2012, of their veal calf growing operation in McConnelsville, Ohio. The investigation found violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Specifically, an animal offered for slaughter as food was found to be adulterated. Tissue samples from a calf slaughtered on or about (b)(4) at (b)(4) contained 0.50 ppm of florfenicol in the liver. While a tolerance of 3.7 ppm for florfenicol in cattle liver exists, it does not apply to calves processed for veal, meaning any detectable level is considered adulteration under 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C)(ii).

The FDA also found that Snellman Farms held animals under insanitary conditions, likely leading to medicated animals with harmful drug residues entering the food supply, specifically citing a failure to maintain complete treatment records. This constitutes adulteration under 21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(4).

Furthermore, the drug (b)(4) was found to be adulterated. Snellman Farms used (b)(4) extralabelly by not following its approved labeling or the withdrawal period established by their veterinarian. This extralabel use was not under the supervision of