Herring processor in a pickle with FDA

A Minneapolis fish company was told to limit the time pickled herring spends in a processing room and ensure the temperature is low enough to preserve the fish, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this month.

The FDA also listed nine instances of cross-contamination during an inspection of Olsen Fish Co. in December. Inspectors saw someone use a rusty tool to open bags and a worker mix cream sauce after his gloves touched the bottom of a container he had lifted off the floor.

President Chris Dorff says all cross-contamination issues have been addressed. In a response to the FDA, he agreed to closely watch processing-room conditions and said refrigeration coupled with the acidity of herring is enough to keep the fish safe from pathogens and toxins.

Dorff said his food-safety protocol was developed using "training and the tools provided by the FDA" and he was frustrated to find the same agency later considered the protocol deficient.

Read the full FDA letter here.