Hope Food Supply Shut Down by FDA, Forced to Recall Seafood Products

On May 16, the FDA directed Hope Food Supply Inc., a Pasadena, Texas, food processing company, to shut down and immediately recall all products manufactured from its Texas facility since 2007.

The company, under a different name, had manufactured dried smoked catfish steaks and other smoked seafood products and had been subject to a consent decree of permanent injunction requiring it to develop and implement an adequate Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for its fish and fishery products. The firm had not developed this plan. The company cannot restart manufacturing until they have implemented an FDA-approved HACCP plan.

The HACCP violations documented by the FDA pose a public health hazard because, without adequate controls, Hope Food Supply’s seafood products could harbor pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. Food products with these kinds of pathogens can cause serious illnesses in people who eat them.

The company’s products have been distributed nationwide. The FDA is advising consumers who bought smoked seafood products to check with the place of purchase to determine if the products came from Hope Foods. If so, these products should not be consumed.