There were a flurry of news reports yesterday about the Portland Shellfish Company. According to a report in the Boston Globe,
Portland Shellfish Co. agreed to temporarily stop shipping its ready-to-eat lobster, shrimp and crab products to retailers in Massachusetts and other states, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday. The company violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the FDA alleges, by shipping food across state lines that was “prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions.”
MPBN interviewed owner Jeffrey Holden and learned more about what the company is doing to address the issue,
“In this plant we’ve put in new suspended ceiling, new roof, re-did the floors, repainted everything in the facility, we’ve put in new cleaning systems,” he says. The FDA, Holden says, is currently reviewing the paperwork associated with these upgrades, and will then send in inspectors to take a look.
With most of the company’s 150-strong workforce laid off until the problem is resolved, Holden says it’s essential to get FDA approval as soon as possible.