Over the last 30 years I have gotten to know many that work or worked at both the FDA and CFIA. I have supported their work and have spoken at many of their conferences. However, shocked and disappointed are too light of words to describe their failure to live up to their Mission Statements:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security … of our nation’s food supply, ….
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) [is] [d]edicated to safeguarding food, …, which enhances the health and well-being of Canada’s people, ….
Please note, that per the “Food Safety, Systems Recognition Arrangement,” the FDA and CFIA are supposed to desire greater “regulatory cooperation, collaboration, partnership and information exchange”… “with respect to public health and consumer protection relating to Food traded between the two countries, and to any food safety-related areas of mutual interest.”
As I said the other day, for nearly a month we have known about the likely link between Revive Mango & Pineapple smoothies and an ingredient known as Tara. To date, in addition to the over 350 Daily Harvest cases (also with an ingredient known as Tara), we are representing over 30 people that have suffered acute liver failure linked to the Mango & Pineapple smoothies. We are testing a variety of Daily Harvest and Revive products and have shared the results with both the FDA and Daily Harvest.
Monday we filed two lawsuits against Revive (a Canadian company) in New York Federal Court. We have filed three lawsuits against Daily Harvest – one on behalf of a woman who lost her gallbladder and on behalf of two minor children – one an infant and one an 11-year-old.
On Monday I posted that I had just gotten off the phone with a Revive Mango & Pineapple smoothie customer who had her gallbladder removed the day before and learned about the link between her illness and the product by Yahoo News. I then had the identical call with another woman two days ago. She was about to have another smoothie as she recovered at home after having her gallbladder removed the day before when she read an article in the Washington Post about the growing outbreak.
And guess what, another conversation this morning with a young woman who ate the Revive Mango & Pineapple smoothie in mid-July and is now suffering acute liver failure. Someone sent her one of the above articles and she called me somewhat relived that she was not going to die from liver cancer.
As I said before, to date, Revive has NOT recalled the product – which may well be frozen in customer’s freezers. Not recalling a product that is clearly sickening your customers is both legally and morally suspect.
So, FDA, CFIA, what the hell are you doing?