EXTRANEOUS MATTER ANALYSIS

Market Survey: BABY FOOD II - Mold Analysis

Baby food was analyzed for insect and rodent contamination in July 2001. The results of that examination were posted on our website in August 2001 and may be found at Baby Food I.

Since baby food is commutated to a fine puree, the next step in a sanitation evaluation would be analyzing for evidence of mold. The Howard Mold Count technique is use for such an evaluation. For a background on Howard Mold Counts, please see Tomato Products.


Results Six samples of baby food representing three companies are analyzed. Dinners with meat to vegetables to deserts were surveyed.
 
 
Sample

 Howard Mold Count
 
Turkey and Turkey Broth

 0%
 
Beef Egg Noodle

 0%
 
Apples and Chicken

 4%
 
Carrots (organic)

 2%
 
Peach Cobbler

 0%
 
Apples and Blueberries (organic)

 4%
 

Opinion:
The FDA does not have a Defect Action Level published for Howard Mold Counts. The Industry standard is 0% if no FDA level is published. Fifty percent of the samples tested positive for mold. Better care of raw materials and processing equipment is needed.


For a complete list of the FDA's Defect Action Levels for food
products, please visit FDA-CFSAN Defect Action Level Handbook.

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