FDA executes inspection warrant at New Jersey nut facility

U.S. Marshals executed a Food and Drug Administration inspection warrant on a New Jersey nut distributor after it failed to respond to numerous regulator requests during nationwide salmonella outbreaks.

Officials executed the warrant earlier this week at Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc., Irvington, N.J., after the company declined to recall some of its products and did not furnish regulators with documents related to safety inspections.

The FDA has the authority to mandate a safety inspection at a facility, but can not force a company it regulates to recall any products.

Westco has come under pressure since it was determined its peanuts are supplied by Peanut Corporation of America, the company behind the nationwide peanut salmonella outbreak. PCA has since gone out of business and thousands of products containing its peanuts or peanut paste have been pulled from store shelves. Some of the products were manufactured as far back as 2007.

Between Nov. 19, 2008, and Dec. 30, 2008, Westco/Westcott received three shipments of Oil Roasted Salted Redskin Jumbo Peanuts from PCA’s Georgia facility.

Westco/Westcott sold these peanuts in various size/packaging configurations and also used them as an ingredient in a variety of mixed nut products and trail mix produced between Nov. 19, 2008, and early February 2009.

The FDA executed an embargo on Westco on Feb. 9.