Handling & Distributing
A countrywide import alert for Mexican papayas that requires all shipments to have documentation of third-party lab tests was issued the same day the Food and Drug Administration announced expanded collaboration with Mexico on food safety measures.
The Aug. 25 import alert was included in the FDA’s news release about the cooperative efforts with the two Mexican agencies — the National Service for Agroalimentary Public Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) and the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS).
A Salmonella Agona outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people in 23 states prompted the import alert, said Doug Karas of the FDA’s public affairs office. The outbreak spurred a voluntary recall by Agromod Produce Inc., McAllen, Texas, of all fresh papayas it sold before July 23 when they tested positive for a salmonella strain in routine FDA sampling.
Officials from Agromod Produce have not returned The Packer’s calls.
Aug. 4 the FDA stepped up surveillance of Mexican papayas because of the outbreak. The notice of the increased surveillance stated recent of samples of Mexican papayas have an “elevated number of microbiological contamination violations, specifically salmonella violations.”
The FDA’s Karas said Aug. 25 all Mexican will be stopped and held at the border without physical examination unless and until certification from a third-party lab shows them to be free of pathogens.
FDA analysis of papayas from 28 different companies from May 12 through Aug. 18 resulted in 33 positive results out of 211 samples for eight different strains of salmonella. That is a 15.6% incidence of salmonella contamination.
“FDA believes that it is extremely unlikely that the Salmonella Agona outbreak, or the elevated rate of positive samples from FDA’s recent testing of papayas from Mexico, is due to random contamination events in nature,” the import alert states.
Karas said the increased cooperation with Mexican food safety agencies grew out of a working group formed with SENASICA in October 2010.
“We’re working on testing methodologies in Mexico and SENSAICA has adopted a long-range plan for improving food safety,” Karas said.
The import alert comes as the Mexican papaya deal is winding down. Mexico exports the most papayas to the U.S., with almost 283 million pounds last season, according to the USDA.
Mexico’s closest competitor for the U.S. market is Belize, which shipped about 38 million pounds of papayas to the U.S. in the past year.
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Comments (9)
Leave a commentJohn
Report AbuseThis comment has been deleted.
LUIS
Report AbuseHOW DO YOU DARE TO INSULT ALL OF THE MEXICAN PRODUCE INDUSTRY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA ON HOW MANY AMERICAN JOBS AND COMPANIES DEPEND ON MEXICAN PRODUCE, ABSOLUTELY NO COUNTRY IN THE FRESH FOOD INDUSTRIE IS EXCEMPT OF FOOD SAFETY ISSUES, SALMONELLA CAN BE IN THE LESS EXPECTED PLACE.
ALSO DONT YOU MIX, POLITICAL AND SECURITY ISSUES WITH THIS. WE PROUDLY GROW IN MEXICAN FIELDS, UNDER THE MOST ADVANCED FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS, AND PROUDLY FEED PEOPLE ALL OVER AMERICA.
YOU WILL EAT YOUR WORDS IN THE WINTER, WITH MOST OF YOUR FIELDS COVERED BY THE SNOW. YOU WILL ASK FOR A MEXICAN AVOCADO GUACAMOLE, AND MEXICAN TOMATOE SALSA, WHILE YOU WATCH THE SUPERBOWL.
Jamie
Report AbuseLuis chill out. John is simple-minded. Can't help himself.
Douglas
Report AbuseIt should surprise no one that John (whose perverse comment is found here) is from Florida. Apparently, they're having a hard time competing.
I've resided in Mexico since 1974 and drink the water, which has yet to make me sick.
As for the whole country being a cess-pool because salmonella was found on papayas from what well may be a single source:
How many recalls of US produce have occurred due to the presence of salmonella?
Does that make the whole country a cess-pool of filth? Obviously not!
Should Mexico's National Service for Agroalimentary Public Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) and the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) do more to impose international hygiene standards for all of Mexico's produce exports?
Yes, of course. (Personally, I wouldn't export without a solid HACCP Program in place).
But let's not insult a whole country based on your own sick racist views. You obviously know nothing about Mexico and have your own axe to grind.
Scott
Report AbuseI'm a freight broker in PHX and there is no problem with mexican produce and saying a nation is filthy because of some bad papayas is ridiculous. You are just ignorant.
Chuck
Report AbuseI suggest to the "Americans" who have responded to this article go or stay in Mexico and we American farmers will make do without you, to supply a safe food by Americans, for Americans. By the way how many Americans know that the Mexicans have sued the United Sates for the country of origen labeling law in world court. What a shame that some Americans actually want to allow the Mexicans to dictate to us what laws we must abide by when the clothes on our back are required to be labled but not the food we eat! I will laugh when we depend on foriegn countries for food as we depend on oil now. I will continue to eat American food.
Douglas
Report AbuseAnother hateful response from Florida by someone that has difficulty understanding that the article is about a problem with salmonella on papayas from a single source in Mexico.
If Americans decide to restrict their dietary intake to USA grown produce, they're not going to eat many mangos, papayas, or pineapple.
Florida and Hawaii may be able to provide a few (although Florida depends on Mexican labor to harvest it's crops). But it's the off-season (rather than tropical) produce that pits Florida against Mexico. Too bad Florida freezes.
John
Report AbuseThis comment has been deleted.
JC
Report AbuseJohn you have no foundation to your comments. I will tell you that some of the worst agricultural facilities I have ever seen are in your state. You can not make a nation accountable for one grower's mistake. you have no right. Also, what would you say on the E.Coli issue from Oregon? is the US a filthy nation??? of course not. So instead of making stupid comments get to work and be more competative.
scott
Report AbuseHillarious.
Cathy
Report AbuseI agree with John. Why do we want to eat food from another country when we have no idea of the sanitary conditions and especially no idea of what chemicals have been used? JC, you say try being more competitive. There is no way we can pay the wages they do in other countries and have anyone work. No one is being hateful, just telling it the way it is.