Del Bueno, of Grandview, Wash, which processes a variety of cheeses and distributes them to specialty grocery stores and restaurants, and owner Jesus Rodriguez, agreed to terms of the consent decree.
Under the consent decree, Del Bueno cannot process or distribute food until it demonstrates that it has developed a control programme to eliminate Listeria monocytogenes from its production facility and products. Listeria is a food-borne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death.
Del Bueno must, among other actions, hire an independent laboratory to collect and analyse samples for the presence of Listeria, retain an independent sanitation expert, develop a program to control Listeria for all employees in both English and Spanish, and destroy all food items currently in the facility, the FDA said.
Once the company is permitted to resume operations, the FDA may still require the company to recall products or cease production if future violations occur.
Dara Corrigan, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, said: “When a company continues to produce food that presents a risk for consumers, the FDA will take action. We will not hesitate to protect the public’s health.”
FDA and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) inspections since 2009 have documented numerous deficiencies in Del Bueno’s processing facility.
FDA laboratory testing since 2010 also found Listeria monocytogenes in Del Bueno’s finished cheese products and in the Del Bueno facility. Both the FDA and the WSDA repeatedly advised Del Bueno and its owner of the unsanitary conditions at the facility.
Listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can be serious and sometimes can cause fatal infections in young children, frail or older people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Although healthy individuals may experience only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, Listeria infection in pregnant women can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
In 2010, Del Bueno cheese was linked to a case of listeriosis in Washington state. Although no illnesses have been reported in 2012 from Del Bueno products, individuals who have eaten these products and experience any of the symptoms of listeriosis listed above should contact their health care professional. Consumers can report problems with FDA-regulated products to their district office consumer complaint coordinator.
Source: FDA
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