FDA WARNING_LETTER - Jesse R. Petre Farm - January 12, 2011

On February 15, 2011, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Mr. Jesse R. Petre Farm following a January 12, 2011, investigation of their dairy farm in Greencastle, PA. The letter identifies violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Specifically, a veal calf sold for slaughter on January 14, 2010, was found to be adulterated. USDA/FSIS analysis of tissue samples from this animal, slaughtered on January 15, 2010, revealed 7.37 ppm of neomycin in kidney tissue and 0.11 ppm of flunixin in liver tissue. These levels exceed the FDA tolerances of 7.2 ppm for neomycin and 0.125 ppb for flunixin in uncooked edible cattle tissues (21 C.F.R. 556.430(b)(1); 556.286(b)(1)), rendering the food adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C)(ii) of the Act.

Furthermore, the investigation found that animals were held under insanitary conditions, specifically due to a failure to maintain treatment records. This indicates that medicated animals with potentially harmful drug residues are likely to enter the food supply, causing the food to be adulterated under section 402(a)(