Health Law

Quesos Mi Pueblito Listeria Problems Bring Its End

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Almost a year after the Food and Drug Administration originally sought a federal court order to put a New Jersey manufacturer of Mexican cheese and two of its officers out of business,  FDA has persuaded a federal judge to take that action.

The judge's order  puts Felix Sanchez and Jesus Galvez out of the cheese business and closes down Quesos Mi Pueblito,  LLC,  the company that never was able to get ahead of its Listeria contamination problems.

FDA ran out of patience with the Passaic, NJ manufacturer  last December when it filed for a permanent injunction against the New Jersey cheese company.    The federal court, however, gave Quesos Mi Pueblito one more chance, entering an order last May 25 that outlined specific steps the company needed to take to remain in business.

But when the company failed to make the corrections, FDA went back to court in late October.  This time the court gave FDA the permanent injunction they were seeking to close Quesos Mi Pueblito for good and step Sanchez and Galvez from being in the cheese business.

Quesos Mi Pueblito sold its cheeses through retail outlets in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

After the court gave the food company another chance,  inspections by FDA and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services again found Listeria-contaminated cheese and continued insanitary plant conditions.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on November 18, 2010 (boomark / email).