In a press release issued October 30, 2015, the FDA stated the juice company had received a letter ordering the company to cease all operations and confirm they had done so within five days. The FDA also notes that Sun Valley Juice Company has complied with the order.
Idaho’s Times-News tried to reach the company, leaving a phone message, but the call was not returned. According to the company’s website, their orange and grapefruit juice is all-natural, and made without any artificial preservatives or pasteurization.
The website also states that the company is in full compliance under the USDA’s Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) regulations. They point out their product is tested once every 10 to 14 days and have always tested negative. (They don’t say what they test for or the type of test used).
According to the FDA, the agency has been trying to help Sun Valley since 2006 to come into compliance with the applicable regulations pertaining to the production of their products. In 2006, a federal judge signed a court-ordered consent decree between the FDA and the company in which the company agreed, among other things, to establish and implement a hazard prevention plan.
After repeated inspection visits, the FDA found that the company was still not in compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regulations and the court-ordered agreement.
Melinda K. Plaisier, FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs said, “When a company repeatedly disobeys food safety laws and regulations, and does not stick to a court-ordered agreement designed to protect public health, the FDA must use the full power of the courts to protect consumers.”
Pasteurization or the lack of pasteurization is the sticking point in this case. Sun Valley Juice Company claims they use “Mother Nature’s own preservative, the rind oil off of the orange, to naturally preserve the juice.” The company admits their juice will only last a few days before going bad, saying the juice is not like commercially prepared juices that last for weeks.
The FDA says the company can resume operations once they come into compliance with the appropriate laws and regulations.
