FDA sent Tyson warning on soup plant

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave Tyson Foods 15 days to respond to "serious violations" at a seafood soup plant in Texas, a warning letter said.

The letter sent to Tyson in mid-November said the Fort Worth, Texas, plant was found with "serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point regulation … and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods."

The letter said inspectors found "shrimp and crab meat thawing … at temperatures between 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 18 hours."

The FDA suggested the company revise its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan to include a "refrigerated storage/thawing step," and keep products "continuously maintained at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit."

The letter noted that Tyson had taken steps to correct the problem, including a new procedure for thawing products, which the FDA's Dallas District Director Reynaldo R. Rodriguez, Jr. said was "insufficient."

Tyson was given 15 days to respond to the violations or face "seizure or injunction," the letter said.