FDA Begins Enhanced Import Sampling for Hot Peppers, Cucumbers
The Food and Drug Administration is beginning its fiscal year 2016 microbiological surveillance sampling program on hot peppers and cucumbers, it said (here). The agency will over the next 12-18 months collect 1,600 samples of each commodity, with about three-quarters of the sampling being conducted on imports, either at ports of entry or distributors in the United States. FDA’s FY 2015 sampling program had focused on avocados, sprouts and raw milk cheese.
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Sampling will occur Monday through Thursday every week, with FDA “closely monitoring” sampling allocation to ensure no single facility gets over-sampled, it said. Only fresh, whole and raw cucumbers will be sampled; FDA does not intend to collect samples of frozen, chopped, pureed or picked cucumbers. Likewise, FDA will not sample dried, frozen or chopped hot peppers, or sweet peppers. FDA will not notify importers in advance that their products will be subjected to sampling. Samples that turn up positive for microbiological hazards could put the importer on import alert or require it to conduct a recall. In order to reduce the impact of sampling on the flow of commerce, FDA said it will provide results as soon as possible, with initial results available after three to five days and samples that initially appear positive taking an additional five to eight days to confirm.
The enhanced sampling approach will allow FDA to collect a statistically valid amount of data to help the agency determine “if there are any common factors among positive findings such as season, region, and whether the product was produced domestically or imported,” it said (here). Results could drive FDA decisions to reduce sampling, implement more targeted sampling, conduct follow-up inspections and develop guidance for industry. FDA will publish information regarding test results on the web, including total number of samples collected/tested, and collection date, sample type, and pathogen detected for positive samples, it said.