The Food and Drug Administration has announced that, under the Food Safety Modernisaztion Act 2011, they have suspended the food facility registration of Sunland Inc. This is the first time the FDA has ever exercised its right to do this. The reason for the move is the protection of public health.
The New Mexico plant has been the center of numerous nut recalls after a multi-state outbreak – which sickened 41 people in 20 states – of salmonella that was traced to their processed nut spreads, raw nuts and seeds after test sampling their product lots.
The FDA also cited Sunland Inc. with numerous health violations that include workers bare-handling nut containers before they were ready to be filled, lack of sanitary hand washing stations, a leaky bathroom sink and doors left open where the nuts were contained, giving opportunity for pests and birds to access products.
According to an FDA report, "The FDA will reinstate Sunland Inc.’s food registration only when FDA determines that the company has implemented procedures to produce safe products."
