Cheese Company Pleads Guilty to Food Adulteration Charge
A Delaware cheese company and two individual defendants have
pled guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act for distributing adulterated ricotta, queso fresco and fresh
cheese curds in several neighboring states. U.S. v. Roos Foods, Inc., No.
16-0013 (D. Del., information filed January 22, 2016). Roos’ cheese was
connected to a 2014 outbreak of Listeria that caused five adults and three
newborns to contract listeriosis. The criminal information alleged the
company produced the cheese in unsanitary conditions, including the
“[f]ailure to clean food-contact surfaces as frequently as necessary to
protect against contamination of food” and “failure to store raw materials
or ingredients in a manner that protects against contamination.”
In their agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
the defendants agreed to an injunction preventing them from processing
or distributing food products until they undergo an FDA inspection and
facility testing by an independent laboratory. The defendants also must
hire a sanitation expert to prepare a sanitation control program for
employee training, environmental monitoring and remedial actions.
“The FDA will not tolerate food companies that fail to provide adequate
safeguards and place the public health at risk by producing and shipping
contaminated products,” FDA Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory
Operations and Policy Howard Sklamberg said in a January 22,
2016, press release. “We will continue to work with the Department of
Justice to use the full force of our justice system against those that place
profits over the health and safety of American consumers.”
Issue 592
