FDA Issues Warning Letter To Juicer Connections For Multiple Code Violations
Juicer Connections, Inc. first received a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 2016, according to Food Safety News. And it seems that the Los Angeles juice distribution company didn't fully take steps to rectify its offenses, because seven years later, it received another warning.
According to the April 11, 2023 letter from the FDA, government investigators found multiple serious violations of the Code of Federal Regulations when they visited the company's location in the fall of 2022. The list of offenses includes food items that have been "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth," and where they may have harmful health implications if consumed. A few of the company's juices, such as the 16-ounce containers of The Juice Connection Liquid Gold Watermelon and Simply Wholesome Carrot, were also found to be mislabeled.
As a result of the violations, the FDA issued Form 483, which is meant to inform the management team of the current issues, and gave Juicer Connections 15 days to respond.
Mislabled juices were among the long list of violations
Among the many violations listed in the warning letter, which was addressed to Juicer Connections' owner and president, Jonathan B. Redwood, were failures to execute on the company's commitments in a response it submitted. In December 2022, Juicer Connections stated it would take health and safety measures like re-training employees, hiring an outside consultant, and creating up-to-par processes. However, the FDA is claiming that it didn't provide documentation showing it took sufficient steps in these directions.
In one alarming example, an FDA investigator observed an employee go from unclogging a floor drain to filling the fruit washing tank, without washing their hands. Another was seen picking up a bottle filler machine cover off the floor and putting it back, sans washing the cover or their hands. The warning letter also states that the company depicted fruits and veggies on their labels that were not actually in the product. Labels claimed the juices were "pasteurized for your safety," which the FDA says is incorrect. In addition, several products' nutrition labels were displaying incorrect information regarding fiber, sugar, and saturated fat content.
Back in 2016, Juicer Connections was also faced with allegations of misbranding and labeling issues. It's unclear exactly which stores and restaurants this company services, but for consumers' sake, hopefully, this warning letter will be the supplier's last.