By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Dixie Dew Products in Erlanger remains shut down as the result of an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that implicated the facility in an outbreak of ecoli.
On March 28, the FDA suspended the food facility registration of Dixie Dew Products, Inc. (Dixie Dew), because products manufactured in the facility may be contaminated.
Soy nut butter manufactured by Dixie Dew and sold under the brand name I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter, is the product implicated in the ecoli outbreak, according to an FDA report.
Juli Putnam, a spokesperson for the FDA issued the following statement Thursday regarding the status of the facility:
“On March 28, 2017, the FDA issued a Suspension of Food Facility Registration Order at Dixie Dew Products of Erlanger, Kentucky, and the suspension remains in effect. The FDA’s inspection of the facility revealed insanitary conditions at the firm that could affect the safety of finished products. The FDA will reinstate Dixie Dew’s food facility registration only when the agency determines that adequate grounds do not exist to continue the suspension order. Please contact Dixie Dew Products for further information. Any updates that we can share publicly will be made available on our website. Please see the following link for the latest information: https://www.fda.gov/food/recallsoutbreaksemergencies/safetyalertsadvisories/ucm549734.htm”FDA”
The FDA’s investigation into the Dixie Dew plant, located at 1360 Jamike Avenue, identified 10 observed violations at the facility dating back several years.
Among the violations listed in the report of an inspection of the facility include the claim that, “a clear liquid substance was observed dripping intermittently from a hole in a ceiling tile in your firm’s Soy Butter Processing Room and landing on the Processing Room floor and splashing on food manufacturing equipment below.”
The report indicates the dripping persisted through the duration of a processing run and states plant employees identified the source as water leaking from a pipe that runs above the ceiling tiles.
Dixie Dew was established in 1934 and had 18 full-time employees in 2016, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Reached by phone Thursday, Dixie Dew president Robert Carl declined to comment on the violations or the status of efforts to bring the facility into compliance with FDA regulations.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
