As North Carolina begins preparing for the potential landfall and impacts from Tropical Storm Elsa, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released Resources for Animal Food Producers in the Southeastern United States Affected by Tropical Storm Elsa.
It’s important for animal food producers to be aware of the food safety impacts that significant rain, wind, and flooding damage can have on the harvesting, mixing, storing, or distribution of grains and other food or ingredients for animals.
Flooding can present a number of hazards to crops that aren’t limited to sewage, pathogens, pesticides, chemical wastes, and mold growth that could lead to increased mycotoxin production.
Crops that are damaged or otherwise unsuitable for human consumption can be used for animal food, but should be evaluated for safety by the FDA or state department of agriculture prior to use, reconditioning or processing.
Guidance for this process can be found in Crops Harvested from Flooded Fields Intended for Animal Food: Questions and Answers.Who to Contact
The FDA district office should be contacted for contamination events occurring in South Carolina or North Carolina:
- Ingrid Zambrana, 404-242-5468
- Wilbur Huggins, 404-626-5586
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Food & Drug Protection Division should also be notified for evaluation of animal food safety in flooded or otherwise contaminated animal food or ingredients.
Contact with the state department of agriculture for clearance should be made before cleaning, testing, selling or using potentially unsafe crops in animal food.
Additional resources from FDA:
- Resources for Human Food Producers in Areas Flooded from Tropical Storm Elsa
- General Information on Evaluating the Safety of Food and Animal Food Crops Exposed to Flood Waters
- CPG Sec. 683.100 Action Levels for Aflatoxins in Animal Feeds
- Guidance for Industry: Fumonisin Level in Human Foods and Animal Feeds Final Guidance
- Guidance for Industry and FDA: Advisory Levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Finished Wheat Products for Human Consumption and Grains and Grain By-Products used for Animal Feed
- CPG Sec. 575.100 Pesticide Residues in Food and Feed - Enforcement Criteria
- CPG 675.200 Diversion of Adulterated Food to Acceptable Animal Feed Use
If you have questions about animal food safety, contact Marissa Cohen.
