A warning letter issued in January, to Eggo waffle maker Kellogg Co, by the U.S. food safety regulators was made public on Tuesday. In the letter they said that the company had not gone far enough, to address food safety violations at its Atlanta frozen food plant. In October 2009, in an Atlanta plant inspection bacterial contamination and sanitation violations were found like an improper handling of trash and food, and insufficiently sanitized equipment.
This FDA's letter, dating back to Jan. 27, came after the Georgia Department of Agriculture found a bacterium known as Listeria in Eggo Buttermilk Waffles on Aug. 31.

In response to this, on Tuesday, Kellogg said that it has fully and duly addressed all the violations and that the response to the FDA letter will be filed shortly. FDA inspectors found the presence of Listeria on five swabs collected from all around the Atlanta Eggo plant. One of the positive swabs came from the wheels of a forklift which is used in the plant.

Listeria is a bacterium which can contaminate food and cause a mild or a severe illness called invasive listeriosis which can sometimes be life-threatening.
FDA also said it is "essential" for Kellogg Co to identify all of the areas in the facility where the bacteria Listeria can grow and to take the necessary actions to control the bacteria. The regulators also suggested that Kellogg should start a pathogen monitoring program. ellogg Co also said that the inspections were conducted when the plant was closed for better cleaning and repairs after the floods that affected production at the plant.

The company spokesperson said they worked with the FDA and the Georgia Department of Agriculture before opening the plant and that it completed full testing and monitoring. The Kellogg shares went up 18 cents to $52.52 at the New York Stock Exchange.

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