FDA Seizes 4 Million Pounds of Milk

On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized four million pounds of powdered milk (worth over $4 million) produced by Valley Milk Products LLC in Virginia. The FDA filed a complaint against the company that alleges its products were adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, after a recent investigation revealed the presence of salmonella in its products and work surfaces—as well as other unsanitary conditions, including water dripping from the ceiling into milk products. “The FDA urged Valley Milk to conduct a voluntary recall of the implicated products,” FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs Melinda K. Plaisier said. “The firm refused to recall and, as a result, we have had to intervene and seize this adulterated food to prevent it from reaching consumers who could be exposed to Salmonella from these products.” This government action comes after dairy producers in the United States dumped 43 million gallons of excess milk into manure lagoons and fields in the first eight months of 2016.