Federal judge enters consent decree against New Jersey raw animal food manufacturer

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Mar 28, 2022, 16:27 ET

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that Bravo Packing, Inc., an animal food manufacturing company of Carney's Point, New Jersey, has agreed to stop selling, manufacturing and distributing raw pet food and come into compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

Today's action marks the first consent decree of permanent injunction against an animal food manufacturer for violating public safety standards under Part 507 (Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls for Animal Food Regulation. Part 507 requires, among other things, that animal food facilities take adequate precautions to prevent animal food from becoming contaminated and that all animal food manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding is conducted under the conditions necessary to minimize the potential for the growth of undesirable microorganisms to protect against the contamination of animal food.

"The food we give our pets should be safe for them to eat and safe for people to handle," said Steven Solomon, DVM, MPH, director of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. "The FDA has taken this action to protect public health because, despite multiple inspections, notifications of violations, and recalls, this firm continued to operate under insanitary conditions and produce pet food contaminated with harmful bacteria. We will not tolerate firms that put people or animals at risk and will take enforcement actions when needed."

The FDA conducted inspections in 2019 and 2021 and issued a warning letter to the facility in 2020. During these inspections, the FDA found evidence of significant food safety violations including grossly insanitary conditions and the failure to follow CGMP regulations for animal food. Multiple samples of finished raw pet food products collected during the inspections tested positive for Salmonella. Pet food that is contaminated with Salmonella can lead to illness in both the pets consuming the food, as well as humans, who handle the food and care for the pets. Some of these finished samples as well as environmental samples from the two inspections also tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The consent decree of permanent injunction entered by U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman between the FDA and Bravo Packing, Inc., along with the company's owner and secretary, Joseph Merola, and its president, Amanda Lloyd, prohibits the defendants from receiving, preparing, processing, packing, holding, labeling, and/or distributing pet food unless and until the company completes corrective actions. The decree also allows the FDA to order a shutdown, recall, or other corrective action in the event of future violations and requires the defendants to pay the costs of inspections performed pursuant to the decree. Failure to abide by the agreement can also lead to civil or criminal penalties.

Consumers who think they or their pets may have been sickened by these products should seek the assistance of a health care professional and contact the FDA to report problems with this or any FDA-regulated product.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed the complaint on behalf of the FDA.

Additional Resources:
Bravo Packing, Inc. - 592718 - 03/16/2020 | FDA
Bravo Packing, Inc. Recalls Performance Dog Raw Pet Food Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk to Humans and Animals | FDA (September 2018)
FDA Cautions Pet Owners Not to Feed Performance Dog Raw Pet Food Due to Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes | FDA (September 2019)
Bravo Packing, Inc. Expands Previously Announced Voluntary Recall of Pet Food Products Due to Potential Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes Health Risks to Humans and Animals (March 2021)
Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet | FDA

Media Contact: Veronika Pfaeffle, 301-310-2576
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration