Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

Congressional research reportNov 20, 2014

Ask Donna

What actually matters in this document.

Text

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative

Enforcement Actions

name redacted

Legislative Attorney

November 20, 2014

Congressional Research Service

7-....

www.crs.gov

R43794

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

Summary

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety of all food except for meat,

poultry, and certain egg products over which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has

regulatory oversight. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the FDA has

the authority to regulate the manufacturing, processing, and labeling of food with the primary

goal of promoting food safety.

Congress has granted the FDA the authority to take both administrative and judicial enforcement

actions. The agency initiates and carries out administrative enforcement actions while judicial

enforcement actions, including seizures and injunctions, require some type of involvement by the

courts. Additionally, administrative enforcement actions, such as inspections and warning letters,

tend to precede any judicial enforcement action. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

expanded the FDA’s enforcement authority with new and broader measures. This report focuses

on the statutory authority and legal issues relating to the following administrative enforcement

actions: inspections, warning letters, recalls, suspension of registration, and administrative

detention.

Inspections: The FDA conducts inspections of regulated facilities in order to oversee a firm’s

compliance with the FFDCA and corresponding regulations. The FFDCA grants the agency with

the enforcement authority to inspect both facilities and records. However, the act narrowly tailors

this authority in order to balance the protection of the facility owners’ Fourth Amendment rights

and the promotion of public health.

Warning Letters: Under the FFDCA, the FDA also has the ability to decline to institute formal

enforcement proceedings for minor violations of the act if the agency believes that it could

adequately serve public interest through written correspondence to violators. These warning

letters give recipient firms an opportunity to take voluntary corrective actions before the FDA

initiates a more formal enforcement action.

Recalls: The recall process permits the FDA to enforce the adulteration and misbranding

provisions of the FFDCA by encouraging industry participants to remove the product and correct

the violation. FDA regulations outline several steps that both the firm and agency must take when

issuing either a voluntary or mandatory recall. FSMA granted the FDA the authority to issue a

mandatory recall. FSMA also established the opportunity for an informal hearing, at which a firm

may dispute these types of recalls, in order to protect the due process rights of the recalling firms.

Suspension of Registration: The FFDCA requires all food facilities to register with the FDA so

that the agency may effectively oversee all areas of food production. If the FDA determines that a

food manufactured, processed, packed, received, or held by a registered facility has a reasonable

probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, the

agency may suspend the registration of a facility that created, caused, or was otherwise

responsible. This enforcement authority is intended to permit the agency to determine the location

and source of an outbreak of food-borne illness and thus notify facilities that may be affected

quickly and efficiently.

Administrative Detention: Under the FFDCA, an FDA employee may order the detention of any

article of food that is found during an FDA inspection if the employee has reason to believe that

such article is adulterated or misbranded. Under this administrative detention authority, the FDA

may prevent illegal articles from being moved or consumed until the court grants a seizure order.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

Contents

FDA Enforcement Authority ........................................................................................................... 1

Inspections ....................................................................................................................................... 1

Facilities .................................................................................................................................... 2

Records...................................................................................................................................... 2

Targeting Inspection Resources................................................................................................. 3

Fourth Amendment Constraints ................................................................................................ 3

Warning Letters ............................................................................................................................... 4

Recalls ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Types of Recalls ........................................................................................................................ 6

Voluntary and Mandatory Recalls ....................................................................................... 7

Recall Process ........................................................................................................................... 7

Initiation of the Recall ........................................................................................................ 7

Classification of the Recall ................................................................................................. 8

Notification and Public Warning......................................................................................... 9

Monitoring and Auditing the Recall ................................................................................... 9

Termination of the Recall.................................................................................................. 10

Due Process Protections Within Mandatory Recall Authority ................................................ 10

Suspension of Registration ............................................................................................................ 10

Administrative Detention .............................................................................................................. 12

Contacts

Author Contact Information ........................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety of all food except for

meat, poultry, and certain egg products over which the U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) has regulatory oversight.1 Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

(FFDCA), the FDA has the authority to regulate the manufacturing, processing, and labeling of

food, with the primary goal of promoting food safety.2

Congress has granted the FDA with the authority to take both administrative and judicial

enforcement actions. The agency initiates and carries out administrative enforcement actions

while judicial enforcement actions, including seizures and injunctions, require some type of

involvement by the courts. 3 Additionally, administrative enforcement actions, such as inspections

and warning letters, tend to precede any judicial enforcement action. The Food Safety

Modernization Act (FSMA) expanded the FDA’s enforcement authority with new and broader

measures.4 The FDA’s implementation of FSMA and related delays in the rulemaking process, in

addition to general oversight of FSMA’s new food safety provisions, are of continuing interest to

Congress.5 This report focuses on the FDA’s statutory authority to initiate the following

administrative enforcement actions: inspections, warning letters, recalls, suspension of

registration, administrative detention, and related legal issues.

FDA Enforcement Authority

Section 301 of the FFDCA prohibits the violation of any of the substantive provisions of the act

and serves as the basis for the FDA’s enforcement actions.6 Under Section 301, “causing” any of

the prohibited acts as well as the act itself is prohibited. The specific enforcement mechanisms

available to the agency to enforce the FFDCA are found throughout the act. Private citizens do

not have the right to sue to enforce the FFDCA. Section 310(a) states that “all ... proceedings for

the enforcement, or to restrain violations, of this [act] shall be by and in the name of the United

States.”7

Inspections

The FDA conducts inspections of regulated facilities in order to oversee a firm’s compliance with

the FFDCA and corresponding regulations.8 The FFDCA grants the agency with the enforcement

authority to inspect both facilities and records. However, courts have generally held that

inspections properly executed under the FFDCA do not violate the Fourth Amendment rights

against search and seizure of the facility owners.9

Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, 40 Fed.

Reg. 25079 (June 12, 1975) (agreement concerning related objectives in carrying out the Federal Meat Inspection Act,

Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.)

21 U.S.C. §301 et seq.

See FDA, FDA Compliance and Enforcement Information, available at http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/

Transparency/Transparencyinitiative/ucm254426.htm.

Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 (2011) (FSMA), P.L. 111-353, 124 Stat. 3885.

See CRS Report R42885, Food Safety Issues for the 113th Congress, by (name redacted), for a discussion on the

current food safety issues of interest to Congress.

21 U.S.C. §331.

21 U.S.C. §337(a).

21 U.S.C. §374.

See, e.g., U.S. v. Jamieson-McKames Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 651 F.2d 532, 536-41 (8th Cir. 1981); U.S. v. Del Campo

(continued...)

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

This section examines the inspection enforcement authority of both facilities and records.

Because of FSMA’s mandate to increase the number of inspections by the FDA, this section also

discusses the tools and methods used by the agency to target inspection resources effectively and

efficiently. The section concludes by analyzing the Fourth Amendment protections embedded

within this particular enforcement authority.

Facilities

The FFDCA authorizes designated FDA employees to enter “at reasonable times and within

reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner” any factory, warehouse, or establishment in which

food is manufactured, processed, packed, or held for introduction into interstate commerce.10

Generally, courts have interpreted “reasonableness” in this context by considering whether the

inspection meets the statutory requirements outlined in Sections 703 and 704 of the FFDCA.11

This inspection authority covers all pertinent equipment, finished and unfinished materials,

containers, and labeling at these locations. The FDA inspector must present the appropriate

credentials and a written notice to the owner, operator, or agent in charge before entering the

facility.12 However, the act does not require the FDA to include the reasons for the inspection in

this notice.13

After the inspection, the FDA employee presents the owner, operator, or agent in charge with a

written report setting forth the conditions or practices observed. This report notes any food that

contains filthy, putrid, or decomposed substances, or whether the food has been prepared, packed,

or held under insanitary conditions, leading to contamination that may be injurious to a

consumer’s health.14 The FDA employee also provides the owner, operator, or agent in charge

with a receipt for any samples obtained during the inspection.15 Refusal to permit an FDA

inspector to duly enter and inspect a regulated facility violates the FFDCA and may lead to the

FDA seeking further judicial enforcement action, such as an inspection warrant issued by a

district court.16

Records

If the FDA reasonably believes that an article of food is likely to be adulterated and presents a

threat of serious health consequences or death to humans and/or animals, then the FDA may

inspect the records related to that food.17 According to the FDA, such determinations are fact

(...continued)

Baking Mfg. Co., 345 F.Supp. 1371, 1376-77 (D. Del. 1972) (discussion whether FDA’s general inspection authority is

consistent with the Fourth Amendment).

21 U.S.C. §374(a)(1)(B).

See U.S. v. Gel Spice Co., Inc., 601 F.Supp. 1214, 1228-29 (E.D.N.Y. 1985).

21 U.S.C. §374(a)(1).

See FDA, Investigations Operations Manual 2014, Exhibit 5-1, Example of a Notice of Inspection,

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/Inspections/IOM/ucm127428.pdf.

21 U.S.C. §374(b).

21 U.S.C. §374(c).

21 U.S.C. §331(f). See FDA, Investigations Operations Manual 2014, 5.2, http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/

IOM/ucm122530.htm#5.2.5.1.

21 U.S.C. §350c(a).

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

specific, and thus are made on a case-by-case basis.18 The holder of the relevant records must

make the records accessible to the FDA within 24 hours from the receipt of the official FDA

request.19 The holders of these records include those who manufacture, process, pack, distribute,

receive, hold, or import the food.20 The FFDCA generally exempts farms, restaurants, and some

retail food establishments from these record requirements.21

Targeting Inspection Resources

FSMA directed the FDA to increase the frequency of inspections at all facilities.22 For domestic

high-risk facilities, the FDA must inspect each facility at least once between January 4, 2011,23

and January 4, 2016, and then once every three years after January 4, 2016. For domestic

facilities that are not high risk, the FDA must inspect each facility once between January 4, 2011,

and January 4, 2018, and then once every five years after January 4, 2018.

FSMA required the FDA to create “risk profiles” of certain foods susceptible to microbial

contamination in order to assist the FDA with scheduling inspections and allocating resources to

accommodate this increased frequency of food facility inspections.24 A risk profile incorporates

known safety risks of the food that is manufactured, processed, packed, or held at the facility.25

The profile also addresses the compliance history of the facility, and the effectiveness of the

facility’s hazard analysis and risk-based preventative controls.26

Fourth Amendment Constraints

Generally, government inspections are a form of a search, and thus are constrained by the Fourth

Amendment’s prohibition against “unreasonable searches and seizures.”27 However, courts have

held that the FDA is not required to obtain a search warrant to inspect a facility under Section 704

of the FFDCA as long as the FDA conducts the inspection reasonably as to time, place, and

method.28

In a case involving the inspection authority pursuant to the Gun Control Act of 1968,29 the U.S.

Supreme Court in U.S. v. Biswell stated that a warrantless inspection is reasonable under the

Fourth Amendment when a statute provides the authority to conduct an inspection in a carefully

limited manner.30 The Court expanded on this principle in New York v. Burger by holding that an

owner of commercial premises in a closely regulated industry has a reduced expectation of

privacy regarding inspections by the government. Therefore, according to the Court in Burger, a

79 Fed. Reg. 18799, 18801 (Apr. 4, 2014).

21 C.F.R. §1.361.

21 U.S.C. §350c(a).

21 C.F.R. §1.327.

FSMA, P.L. 111-353 (2011), §201.

FSMA’s date of enactment.

21 U.S.C. §350j(a).

Id.

U.S. CONST. amend. IV.

See, e.g., U.S. v. New England Grocers Supply Co., 488 F. Supp. 230, 238-39 (D. Mass. 1980).

18 U.S.C. §921 et seq.

U.S. v. Biswell, 406 U.S. 311, 315-16 (1972).

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

warrantless inspection of the commercial premises by the government may be reasonable under

the Fourth Amendment.31 The Court in this case outlined three criteria that would deem a

warrantless government inspection as reasonable under what the Court referred to as the

Colannade-Biswell doctrine.32 First, a substantial government interest must support the regulatory

inspection scheme.33 Second, the warrantless inspections must be “necessary to further [the]

regulatory scheme.”34 Finally, the regulatory statute must function as a warrant by limiting the

discretion of the inspecting officers and by advising the owner of the commercial premises that

the government may conduct a search within the properly defined scope of the law.35

Applying the Colannade-Biswell doctrine to FDA inspections, lower courts have concluded that

these inspections generally further a federal interest in food safety, and thus may proceed without

a warrant despite the potential threat to privacy.36 In U.S. v. New England Grocers Supply Co., the

court held that neither a warrant nor consent was required to inspect the defendant’s warehouse

because the government’s interest in food safety underlies the FDA’s inspection regulations and

the agency conducted the searches reasonably as to time, manner, and scope.37 Although

considering the search and seizure of veterinary drugs, the Ninth Circuit in U.S. v. Argent

Chemical Laboratories, Inc. held that an FDA inspection pursuant to the relevant FFDCA

provisions satisfied the Colannade-Biswell doctrine because a substantial government interest is

present regarding the safety and effectiveness of the product; unannounced, warrantless

inspections further the regulatory scheme by having a deterrent effect; and finally the FFDCA and

accompanying regulations define the scope of the search and serve as a “[C]onstitutionally

adequate substitute for a warrant.”38

Warning Letters

Section 309 of the FFDCA permits the FDA to decline to institute formal enforcement

proceedings for “minor violations of this [act] whenever [the agency] believes that the public

interest [would] be adequately served by a suitable written notice or warning.”39 These warning

letters give recipient firms an opportunity to take voluntary corrective actions before the FDA

initiates more formal enforcement action.40 A warning letter sent by the FDA also establishes

prior notice and documents prior warning if adequate corrections are not made and further

enforcement action is necessary.41

N.Y. v. Burger, 482 U.S. 691, 701-02 (1987).

Id. at 702-03.

Id. at 702.

Id. (citing Donovan v. Dewey, 452 U.S. 594, 600 (1981)).

Burger, 482 U.S. at 703.

See U.S. v. Bus. Builders, Inc., 354 F.Supp. 141, 143 (N.D. Okla. 1973); U.S. v. Del Campo Baking Mfg. Co., 345

F.Supp. 1371, 1376 (D. Del. 1972).

New England Grocers Supply Co., 488 F.Supp. at 238-39.

U.S. v. Argent Chem. Labs., Inc., 93 F.3d 572, 576 (9th Cir. 1996).

21 U.S.C. §336.

FDA, Regulatory Procedures Manual, 4-1-1, available at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/

RegulatoryProceduresManual/default.htm. It is important to note that the Regulatory Procedures Manual serves as a

reference for FDA employees and industry. The manual is not binding on industry or the agency.

Id.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

The FDA may consider issuing a warning letter if the agency has found evidence that a firm or

product violates the FFDCA and that failure to correct such a violation may lead to the agency’s

consideration of further formal enforcement action.42 The agency may favor a warning letter as a

more efficient enforcement option if the agency reasonably expects that the responsible firm or

persons would take prompt corrective action after receiving such a letter.43

Warning letters include two types of correspondence: a regulatory letter and a report of

investigation finding.44 A regulatory letter warns the violator that formal enforcement is likely in

the absence of voluntary compliance. A report of investigation finding (also referred to as an

information letter) requests voluntary correction by the addressee. Both methods of

communication are informal and advisory.45 An FDA warning letter typically is labeled as such

and includes the dates of the inspection during which the agency discovered the statutory

violation(s).46 The letter would also request the recipient to institute corrective action(s) and to

return a written response to the agency’s warning letter. The FDA generally includes a warning in

the letter that failure to correct the violation promptly may result in additional enforcement

action.47

FDA warning letters are informal and advisory.48 A warning letter may communicate the FDA’s

position on a certain issue but does not commit the agency to taking any further enforcement

action. Thus, the FDA has concluded that a warning letter does not qualify as a final agency

action subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act.49

Courts generally agree with this interpretation of the legal status of warning letters. In Holistic

Candlers and Consumers Ass’n v. FDA, the D.C. Circuit found that the agency’s warning letters

requesting that the addressee take prompt action to correct certain FFDCA product violations did

not qualify as final agency action, and thus could not serve as the basis for the addressee’s legal

claim against the agency.50 The D.C. Circuit further articulated that in order for any agency action

to be “final” the action must mark the beginning of the agency’s decision-making process, and

that the action must be one from which “legal consequences will flow.”51 According to the court,

an FDA warning letter is not final because it provides firms with an opportunity to take voluntary

corrective action before the FDA decides to initiate any enforcement action.52 Additionally, the

court concluded that “legal consequences” cannot arise from warning letters due to their informal

and advisory nature.53 Similarly, the Ninth Circuit in Biotics Research Corp. v. Heckler

emphasized the point that FDA regulatory letters do not constitute final administrative

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 4-1-3.

Id.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 4-1-1.

Id.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 4-1-10.

Id.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 4-1-1.

21 C.F.R. §10.65(a).

Holistic Candlers and Consumers Ass’n v. FDA, 664 F.3d 940, 946 (D.C. Cir. 2012).

Id. at 943.

Id. at 944.

Id.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

determinations subject to judicial review due to the absence of any commitment on behalf of the

FDA to follow the correspondence with additional enforcement actions.54

Recalls

The recall process permits the FDA to enforce the adulteration and misbranding provisions of the

FFDCA by encouraging industry participants to remove the product and correct the violation.

This section addresses this FDA recall enforcement authority by first analyzing the various

triggers of the recall process and then by examining the FDA recall process itself. This section

concludes with an analysis of the due process concerns related to the mandatory recall

enforcement authority.

Types of Recalls

FDA regulations define a “recall” as a firm’s removal or correction of a marketed product that the

FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers and against which the agency would

initiate legal action, such as a seizure.55 Under these regulations, a “recall” is different from a

“market withdrawal.” A market withdrawal is a firm’s removal or correction of a distributed

product that involves a minor violation that would not be subject to legal action by the FDA.56 A

market withdrawal may not involve an FFDCA violation at all. Normal stock rotation practices

and routine equipment adjustments and repairs may prompt a market withdrawal.57 The FDA may

assist a firm issuing a market withdrawal when the cause for withdrawal may not be obvious or

clearly understood, but the deficiency of the product is apparent (for example, when a consumer

complains of adverse reactions to the product).58

A common reason for a recall is an undeclared ingredient.59 These recalls typically violate

FFDCA’s labeling provisions that require food labels to declare major food allergens.60 A food

label subject to such type of recall may not include a statement after the ingredient list disclosing

that the food contains a major food allergen, or the label may list the major food allergen in the

ingredients but not by the common or usual name. For example, Whole Foods Market recalled its

organic creamy spinach dip in December 11, 2013, because the label did not disclose that the dip

contained eggs, a major food allergen.61

Another common trigger of a recall is the detection of microbiological contamination, such as

Salmonella enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes. For example, Flat Creek Farm & Dairy

recalled 200 pounds of Heavenly Blue Cheese in November 26, 2013, due to potential

contamination with Salmonella enteritidis.62 Recalls due to microbiological contamination often

Biotics Research Corp. v. Heckler, 710 F.2d 1375, 1377-78 (9th Cir. 1983).

21 C.F.R. §7.3(g).

21 C.F.R. §7.3(j).

Id.

21 C.F.R. §7.46(d).

Common food allergens include milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, and peanuts. See FDA, 2013 Recalls,

Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts, available at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ArchiveRecalls/2013/default.htm.

See 21 U.S.C. §343(w).

Press Release, Whole Foods Market, Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic Region Recalls Spinach Dip Due to

Undeclared Egg (Dec. 11, 2013), available at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm378448.htm.

Press Release, Flat Creek Farm & Dairy, Flat Creek Farm & Dairy Recalls Heavenly Blue Because of Possible

Health Risk (Nov. 26, 2013), available at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm376981.htm.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

arise because of a firm’s violation of the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices

(CGMPs).63 CGMPs outline the methods, equipment, facilities, and controls to produce safe and

wholesome food.

Voluntary and Mandatory Recalls

If the FDA determines that there is a reasonable probability that an article of food is adulterated64

or misbranded65 and the use or exposure to such article of food66 will cause serious health

consequences or death to humans or animals, the FDA then provides the responsible party with

the opportunity to cease distribution and recall such article of food voluntarily.67

While most recalls are “voluntary” or “requested by the FDA,” FSMA granted the FDA with the

authority to issue mandatory recalls.68 If the responsible party does not cease distribution or recall

such an article of food within the time and manner prescribed by the FDA or refuses to act at all,

the FDA may require the responsible party to immediately cease distribution of the violative

product.69 The FDA must provide the responsible party with the opportunity to initiate a voluntary

recall before the agency issues the mandatory recall order.70 After receiving the mandatory recall

order, the responsible party then notifies the following people of the recall: those involved in

manufacturing, processing, packing, transporting, distributing, receiving, holding, importing, or

selling of the product.71 The responsible party must also provide third-party warehouses with

sufficient information to identify the article of food covered by the recall.72

Recall Process

FDA guidance outlines five broad phases as part of the recall process for both voluntary and

mandatory recalls.73 The five phases are as follows: initiation, classification, notification,

monitoring, and termination.

Initiation of the Recall

The recalling firm and the FDA take different steps to initiate the recall depending on whether the

recall is voluntary, requested by the FDA, or mandated by the FDA. When a company voluntarily

initiates a recall, FDA regulations recommend that the recalling firm immediately contact the

See 21 C.F.R. §110.3 et seq.

21 U.S.C. §342.

21 U.S.C. §343.

The statute excludes infant formula from the articles of food that are subject to a voluntary recall under this

provision. 21 U.S.C. §350l(a). Infant formula recalls follow the procedures outlined in 21 C.F.R. §107.200 et seq.

21 U.S.C. §350l(a).

FSMA, P.L. 111-353 (2011), §206.

21 U.S.C. §350l(b)(1).

FDA cannot issue a mandatory recall for alcoholic beverages under the mandatory recall statutory authority (21

U.S.C. §350l) until the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has had a reasonable opportunity to cease

distribution and recall such beverage. 21 U.S.C. §350l(e).

Id.

21 U.S.C. §350l(b)(2).

See generally, FDA, Regulatory Procedures Manual, Chapter 7, available at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/

ComplianceManuals/RegulatoryProceduresManual/UCM074312.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

FDA.74 At this phase, the recalling firm provides the FDA with the following information:

identity of the product involved in the recall; reason for removal; an evaluation of the risk; total

amount of such products produced and distributed; distribution information; and a proposed

strategy for conducting the recall.75

The FDA may request a recall if a product presents a risk of illness, injury, or gross consumer

deception; the firm has not initiated a recall of the product; and agency action is necessary to

protect public health and welfare.76 If the FDA has requested the recall, the FDA notifies the firm

that has the primary responsibility for the manufacture or marketing of the product of the need to

recall the product immediately.77 The firm then provides the agency with similar information to

that described in the above paragraph.78

If the FDA has issued a mandatory recall, the FDA then issues a written order to the firm to recall

the product.79 The order includes the provision of the act violated by the firm that prompted the

recall,80 the basis for FDA’s authority to issue the recall,81 a description of the product, and a time

frame for the firm to reply.82

Classification of the Recall

After either the FDA or the firm initiates the recall, the FDA evaluates the health hazard presented

by the product and looks at whether a precedent exists to guide strategy based on this specific

health hazard.83 Relying on the information from the evaluation, the FDA classifies the recall

according to the health hazard presented by the recalled product.84 A reasonable probability of

serious adverse health risks and/or death triggers a Class I recall.85 A Class II recall covers

products that may cause a temporary or medically reversible adverse health outcome.86 A Class III

recall includes violative products that are unlikely to cause an adverse health outcome. 87

When classifying a recall, an ad hoc committee of FDA scientists may take into account the

following factors:

“(1) Whether any disease or injuries have already occurred from the use of the product.

(2) Whether any existing conditions could contribute to a clinical situation that could

expose humans or animals to a health hazard....

21 C.F.R. §7.40(b).

21 C.F.R. §7.46(a).

21 C.F.R. §7.45(a)(1)-(3).

21 C.F.R. §7.45(b).

21 C.F.R. §7.45(c).

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-5-3.

For example, the FDA will cite 21 U.S.C. §402 for adulterated food or 21 U.S.C §403(w) for misbranded food.

21 U.S.C. §350l.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-5-3.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-6-1.

21 C.F.R. §7.41

Id.

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

(3) Assessment of hazard to various segments of the population ... who are expected to be

exposed to the product being considered, with particular attention paid to the hazard to

those individuals who may be at greatest risk.

(4) Assessment of the degree of seriousness of the health hazard to which the populations

at risk would be exposed.

(5) Assessment of the likelihood of occurrence of the hazard.

(6) Assessment of the consequences (immediate or long-range) of occurrence of the

hazard.”

In conjunction with the classification, the FDA reviews the recall strategy presented by the firm.88

The strategy addresses the depth and scope of the recall, a communication plan to warn the

public, and methods used to measure the effectiveness of the recall.89

Notification and Public Warning

After classification, the firm must then notify affected parties. FDA regulations state that the

format, content, and extent of the recall communication should reflect the hazard of the product

being recalled as well as the strategy for that particular recall.90 Recall communications should

convey information that identifies the product in question and the reason for the recall and

provide instructions regarding any specific actions that should be taken with the product.91 FDA

guidance also outlines the scope of recipients. These recipients may include the wholesale

distributor, retail vendor, or the consumer, depending on how far the violative product has been

distributed in commerce.92

In addition to recall communications issued by the firm, the FDA also notifies other federal

agencies and state and local governments of the recall and relevant information.93 Additionally,

the FDA agency publicly discloses all recalls on its website, and may also notify consumers by

issuing a press release for Class I recalls.94 The FDA lists each recall and accompanying

information in its weekly FDA Enforcement Report.95 The agency does not include market

withdrawals or stock recoveries in this report.96

Monitoring and Auditing the Recall

The recalling firm has the legal responsibility to monitor the effectiveness of the recall.97 As part

of this monitoring, the firm must submit recall status reports to the appropriate FDA district

office, generally every two to four weeks.98 These reports update the agency on the number of

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-6-3.

21 C.F.R. §7.42(b).

21 C.F.R. §7.49(a).

21 C.F.R. §7.49(a), (c).

See FDA, Guidance for Industry: Product Recalls, Including Removals and Corrections, Nov. 3, 2003, available at

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/IndustryGuidance/ucm129259.htm.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-7-2.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-7-3.

21 C.F.R. §7.50.

Id.

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-8-1.

21 C.F.R. §7.53(a).

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

individuals who were notified, the response to these notifications, and the number of products

returned.99 The FDA can provide assistance with monitoring the effectiveness of the recall if

some substantial difficulty is present, such as when the product is widely dispersed on the

consumer level.100 The FDA may also audit the recall independently of this assistance to ensure

that the recall action has been effective.101

Termination of the Recall

The FDA terminates a recall when the firm has completed all recall activity, as required by the

previous phases.102 When the FDA makes such a final determination, the agency provides a

written notification of the termination to the recalling firm. Generally, the agency officially

terminates a successful recall within three months of the recalling firm’s completion of the recall

activities.

Due Process Protections Within Mandatory Recall Authority

Before Congress granted the FDA with the mandatory recall authority under FSMA,

commentators speculating about the possibility of this method of enforcement raised concerns

about due process. Commentators were particularly concerned with the protection of a firm’s

interests against a potentially arbitrary mandatory recall order.103 FSMA’s provision mandating

that the FDA shall provide the responsible party subject to a mandatory recall order with the

opportunity for an informal hearing addresses these due process concerns.104

This informal hearing must occur no later than two days after the mandatory recall order.105 The

hearing is designed to address the actions required by the order. The recalling firm also has the

opportunity at the hearing to argue against the recall and to articulate reasons for its termination.

After the hearing, the FDA may then amend the order to specify a timetable for the recall and to

require periodic reports, submitted by the responsible party, updating the agency on the recall’s

progress; 106 or the agency may vacate the order if the agency determines at the hearing that

adequate grounds do not exist for the recall.107

Suspension of Registration

The FFDCA requires all food facilities to register with the FDA and to renew such registration

biennially so that the agency may effectively oversee all areas of food production.108 To register,

21 C.F.R. §7.53(b).

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-8-1.

101

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-8-2.

102

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 7-9.

103

See, e.g., Julie Gallagher, “Recall Authority Would Allow for Due Process,” SUPERMARKET NEWS BLOG, (Apr. 20,

2009), http://supermarketnews.com/blog/recall-authority-would-allow-due-process; Michael T. Roberts, Mandatory

Recall Authority: A Sensible and Minimalist Approach to Improving Food Safety, 59 FOOD & DRUG L.J. 563, 579

(2004).

104

21 U.S.C. §350l(c); FSMA, P.L. 111-353 (2011), §206.

105

21 U.S.C. §350l(c).

106

21 U.S.C. §350l(d).

107

21 U.S.C. §350l(d)(2).

108

21 U.S.C. §350d(a).

100

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

facilities must submit the following information to the FDA: the name (including trade names),

address, and phone number of the facility, and the food product categories associated with that

facility.109 All food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for consumption in the

United States must complete this registration process.110 However, FDA regulations exempt

foreign facilities, where the food from such facility undergoes further manufacturing or

processing by another facility outside the United States.111 Farms, retail food establishments,

restaurants, and meat and egg facilities that are regulated exclusively by the USDA are also

exempted from these requirements.112

The FFDCA113 authorizes the FDA to suspend the registration of a food facility to enforce the

public health and safety provisions of the act. If the FDA determines that a food manufactured,

processed, packed, received, or held by a facility has a reasonable probability of causing serious

adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, the agency may suspend the

registration of a facility that created, caused, or was otherwise responsible.114 The agency may

also order a registration suspension of a facility that knew of or had reason to know of such

reasonable probability of harm and packed, received, or held such food.115 With its registration

suspended, a facility cannot import or export food into the United States or introduce food into

interstate or intrastate commerce in the United States.116 Any distribution of food products from

such facility violates the FFDCA and may lead to the FDA taking further enforcement action.117

Food facility registration and the suspension of such registration enable the agency to determine

the location and source of an outbreak of food-borne illnesses and thus notify facilities that may

be affected quickly and efficiently.118

Similar to other enforcement actions, the suspension provision in the FFDCA offers due process

protections for a facility subject to a registration suspension.119 The FDA must provide a

registrant with the opportunity for an informal hearing no less than two business days after

issuing a suspension order.120 The hearing gives the registrant an opportunity to present reasons

for reinstating the registration. If at the hearing, the FDA determines that a suspension is

necessary, the registrant must then submit a corrective action plan to the agency.121 The FDA will

reinstate a registration if the agency determines, based on the evidence presented at the hearing,

that adequate grounds do not exist to continue the suspension of the registration.122 When the

109

Id.

21 C.F.R. §1.225.

111

21 C.F.R. §1.226.

112

Id.

113

FSMA, P.L. 111-353 (2011), §102 amended §415 of the FFDCA to provide the FDA with the authority to suspend a

food facility’s registration.

114

21 U.S.C. §350d(b).

115

Id.

116

21 U.S.C. §350d(b)(4).

117

21 U.S.C. §331(d).

118

FDA, Guidance for Industry: What You Need to Know About Registration of Food Facilities, available at,

http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/ucm331957.htm.

119

See The Network for Public Health Law, “Section 102: Registration of Food Facilities,” FOOD SAFETY

MODERNIZATION ACT (FSMA) PRIMER, available at, https://www.networkforphl.org/_asset/d0v8kb/Primer-for-Section102-of-FSMA-FIN.pdf (briefly discusses the informal hearing opportunities in the context of due process protections).

120

21 U.S.C. §350d(b)(2).

121

21 U.S.C. §350d(b)(3).

122

21 U.S.C. §350d(b)(2).

110

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

FDA determines that adequate grounds do not exist to continue the suspension, the FDA will then

vacate the order suspending the facility’s registration and reinstate the registration for that

particular facility.123

Administrative Detention

Under Section 304 of the FFDCA,124 a designated FDA employee may order the detention of any

article of food that is found during an FDA inspection if the employee has reason to believe that

such article is adulterated or misbranded.125 Under this administrative detention authority, FDA

may prevent holders of illegal articles from moving the food before a federal district court issues

a warrant permitting the agency to seize the food.126 This enforcement authority also permits the

agency to prevent consumption of the illegal articles in an effort to ensure public safety. The FDA

may detain the food under an administrative detention for a reasonable period, generally

measured by the time necessary to institute a seizure action.127 The FFDCA states that such period

cannot exceed 30 days.128

Any person, who is entitled to claim the article, may file an appeal of the detention order.129 The

claimant must file the appeal within two calendar days upon receipt of the detention order for

perishable food and within four calendar days upon receipt of the detention order for

nonperishable food.130 Upon such appeal, the FDA must then grant the claimant the opportunity

for an informal hearing. At the informal hearing, the agency can either terminate or confirm the

order, which serves as a final agency action.131 Generally, federal courts lack jurisdiction over

agency actions committed under the agency’s discretion as granted by law, including, for

example, most of the statutory enforcement authorities discussed in this report.132 However, a

federal court may exercise judicial review of an agency’s activities, if such an activity is a final

agency action; the party subject to the agency action has exhausted the procedures provided by

the agency; and no other remedies at law are present.133 Therefore, the agency’s termination or

confirmation of an administrative detention order may be subject to judicial review.

123

Id.

FSMA, P.L. 111-353, §207 amended the FDA’s administrative detention authority under §304 of the FFDCA. Prior

to FSMA, the FDA could order an administrative detention if the agency had credible evidence that the food presented

a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. See also FDA, FAQs on the Food Safety

Modernization Act, available at http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/fsma/ucm247559.htm#registration.

125

21 U.S.C. §334(h)(1).

126

Regulatory Procedures Manual, supra note 40, at 5-3-2.

127

21 U.S.C. §334(h)(2).

128

Id.

129

21 U.S.C. §334(h)(4).

130

21 C.F.R. §1.402.

131

21 U.S.C. §334(h)(4).

132

See 5 U.S.C. §701(a).

133

5 U.S.C. §704.

124

Congressional Research Service

Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions

Author Contact Information

(name redacted)

Legislative Attorney

Congressional Research Service

EveryCRSReport.com

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a federal legislative branch agency, housed inside the

Library of Congress, charged with providing the United States Congress non-partisan advice on

issues that may come before Congress.

EveryCRSReport.com republishes CRS reports that are available to all Congressional staff. The

reports are not classified, and Members of Congress routinely make individual reports available to

the public.

Prior to our republication, we redacted names, phone numbers and email addresses of analysts

who produced the reports. We also added this page to the report. We have not intentionally made

any other changes to any report published on EveryCRSReport.com.

CRS reports, as a work of the United States government, are not subject to copyright protection in

the United States. Any CRS report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without

permission from CRS. However, as a CRS report may include copyrighted images or material from a

third party, you may need to obtain permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or

otherwise use copyrighted material.

Information in a CRS report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public

understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to members of Congress in

connection with CRS' institutional role.

EveryCRSReport.com is not a government website and is not affiliated with CRS. We do not claim

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.