Perhaps most troubling, FDA inspectors noted that employees were never seen washing their hands. Instead, they wore gloves, and if they touched dirty surfaces or objects, they simply put hand sanitizer on their dirty gloves and moved on. What they should have done was take off their dirty gloves, wash their hands and buy clean gloves. However, FDA inspectors never saw this happen and managers confirmed that disinfecting gloves was common practice.
Inspectors also noted that the facility's equipment was always wet. Employees applied sanitizing solutions to knives and other equipment used to dice and chop fresh produce. The sanitizing solution is supposed to be air-dried before use, but Taylor Farms employees immediately used the equipment – still dripping with sanitizing solution – to cut RTE products.
On one day of the inspection, FDA agents observed workers chopping RTE lettuce with equipment wet with the sanitizing solution at its maximum concentration, 200 ppm. In another case, inspectors observed an employee mixing cleaning products to make a sanitizing solution, which the employee said was done “routinely.” When inspectors asked about the mixture, Taylor Farms “could not locate the source of this recipe,” nor could they find the manufacturer's label or other information indicating the mixture was intended for use.
“Highest expectations”
In a statement to CBS, Taylor Farms said it “immediately took steps to address the issues” found in the FDA's inspection, which resulted in no “administrative or regulatory action” against the company.
“Taylor Farms is confident in our best-in-class food safety processes, and in turn, the quality and safety of our products,” the company said in the statement. “As is customary following an inspection, the FDA has commented on conditions that could be improved at one of our facilities.” The company added that “no illnesses or public health threats were associated with these observations” during the inspection.
McDonald's, meanwhile, said it is no longer sourcing onions from the facility.
“We hold our suppliers to the highest food safety expectations and standards. Prior to this inspection, and regardless of the findings, McDonald's stopped sourcing the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs,” McDonald's said in a statement.
