A Maryland agency responsible for protecting residents from food-related illnesses failed to perform the required inspections, sampling and equipment tests at multiple food and milk processing plants and distribution centers, according to a new audit. The state’s Office of Legislative Audits found that the Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, could not confirm the reliability of testing at food stations serving thousands of Marylanders.
Of the 10 sites randomly sampled by auditors, two had not performed the mandatory safety testing. In one plant, test samples did not meet bacteriological regulations — and the violation was not recorded nor was follow-up testing conducted for five months — which led to an “increased risk of adulterated food not being detected.”
