Seven Seas International, Felix Custom Smoking cited by FDA for seafood listeria issues

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings of possible listeria contamination in products sold by Saint Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A. Seven Seas International and Monroe, Washington, U.S.A.-based Felix Custom Smoking.

Seven Seas International is voluntarily recalling 295 cases of Biltmore Smoked Sockeye Salmon with production lot number R4058 due to the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes, according to an FDA notice.

“The issue was discovered through routine regulatory testing conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,” it said. “Consumers who have purchased this product with this lot code are being advised not to consume it and return it to the store where it was originally purchased for a full refund.”

Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in preschool age children, older adults, or people who are immune compromised, and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

The salmon was sold at Publix Supermarkets across the state of Florida, prior to 14 March, 2023, which have a lot code R4058 printed on the clear plastic film that protects the product, according to the FDA.

“No other production codes are affected by this recall,” it said.

Separately, the FDA has served a final judgment against Felix Custom Smoking, which was found to be selling listeria-tainted smoked salmon and tuna in 2021. The company’s owner, Diane Zollinger, refused to halt production at the plant to resolve issues that included “an infestation of flies and other filthy conditions,” and in response, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch filed a legal complaint against the company in March 2022.

“The defendant has an extensive history of processing seafood products under grossly insanitary conditions,” the complaint said.

On 15 March, 2023, a judge ruled against the business, which means it will be required to pay the full costs of any further FDA investigation into food-safety issues at the company – including more than USD 102 (EUR 93.61)per hour for investigative work and USD 122 (EUR 111.97) for analytical work, according to court documents reviewed by the Everett Herald. The judge also issued a permanent injunction requiring the business to comply with a 20-page list of sanitary requirements – including the development of a written Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan for each manufactured seafood item it plans to produce – before it is permitted to reopen.

The default judgment was issued after Zollinger failed to appear in court or respond to the complaint in writing, according to the Herald. According to documents filed in the legal complaint, in April 2022, Zollinger was given additional time to respond to the complaint because she was undergoing medical treatment.  

As another requirement of the judge’s order, Felix Custom Smoking must notify its employees and customers of the ruling. Each violation of the judge’s order will cost the company USD 2,000 (EUR 1,835) and gives the FDA the right to shut down the business permanently. If the business complies with the order for five years and complies with the list of sanitary requirements, it may petition the court for permission to reopen.

Felix Custom Smoking is a manufacturer of ready-to-eat seafood products including smoked salmon, smoked tuna, and salmon, and squid jerky for private-label sales and retail customers. The company primarily processed seafood caught in Alaskan waters and sold products to be picked up at its Washington state facility.

A Herald investigation in March 2023 could not determine whether the business was still operating. The business’ phone line has been disconnected.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug Administration