By STAN MADDUX

Indiana Correspondent

WASHINGTON D.C. — A USDA grader may have overlooked alleged sanitary violations while they were occurring at a North Carolina chicken farm linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.

In response, USDA said grading is a voluntary service provided by the agency at the request of the company and no substitute for the more thorough inspections from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of reported illnesses from possible salmonella poisoning from eggs at Rose Acre Farms stood at 35 last week. That was 12 higher than the last CDC report on April 16.

Indiana-based Rose Acre Farms on April 13 imposed a voluntary recall on more than 200 million eggs it stated were at risk of contamination by salmonella bacteria from its North Carolina operation.

According to an FDA report, FDA inspectors at the operation from March 26-April 11 found dozens of live and dead rodents in chicken houses and manure pits, along with condensation dripping from ceilings, cracks and walls onto crack detectors, egg graders and other production equipment.

Other findings included grimy equipment, water pooling on floors and hands going unwashed prior to handling eggs.

Amanda Heitkamp, a USDA spokesperson, in a written statement said graders work inside the company’s processing facility and the first step each morning is performing a visual check of the processing area before production starts. “When a deficiency is observed, graders work with facility management to ensure it is corrected before operations start,” she stated.

In comparison, she said the work of FDA inspectors is more in-depth and FDA examinations cover the entire operation.

“We take our responsibility very seriously, and any time a significant issue is identified, USDA graders flag it for FDA through a formal process to ensure their regulatory inspectors are informed in a timely manager,” she said.

No explanation was given by USDA on how filth as cited in the FDA report was overlooked, perhaps, by graders. The agency did say a grader’s typical day would include noting any areas that require additional cleaning prior to the start of operations and performing grading duties throughout the day.

In this instance, according to USDA, “our grader(s) in daily visual checks of the processing area did not observe issues that would have triggered a report to FDA inspectors.”

Gene Grabowski, a spokesman for Rose Acre Farms, said numerous corrective actions have already been implemented at the farm in Hyde County, N.C., and other steps have been taken to ensure the operation meets or exceeds the standards of the FDA and USDA.

He said although FDA found some deficiencies at the farm, “we in most aspects remain compliant with all regulations and laws at the facility.”

The facility covers more than 20 acres under roof and houses more than 3 million hens, Grabowski said. “Rose Acre Farms takes food safety and the welfare of our hens, workers and consumers very seriously. We responsibly follow the requirements of the FDA’s Egg Safety Rule, the Food Safety Modernization Act and the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act because we care about providing safe, nutritious and affordable eggs.

“When we fall short of expectations, we’re disappointed in ourselves and we strive to correct any problems and institute safeguards that ensure those problems won’t occur again,” he said. “We’re sorry for any concerns we may have caused consumers because some of our practices fell short of FDA standards and we vow to do better in the future.”

The eggs under recall were distributed to consumers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, New York and New Jersey.