US: FDA seeks injunction on Rel's Foods' products
By: just-food.com | 9 October 2009
The US Department of Justice, on behalf of the US Food and Drug Administration, has sought an injunction to stop Rel's Foods from manufacturing, producing, and selling adulterated food products.
The complaint alleges that Rel's has an extensive history of operating under insanitary conditions. It claims that Rel's has produced and distributed ready-to-eat sandwiches contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The complaint also names Rel's vice president, Peder Scott Sorensen, and two managers, Patrick O'Malley and Timothy Ault.
Rel's prepares, processes, and distributes a variety of ready-to-eat sandwiches to convenience stores, deli markets, liquor stores, mini-marts, and gas stations in Nevada and California.
FDA investigators found Listeria monocytogenes inside Rel's production facility on numerous occasions since 2002, according to the complaint. Additional routine laboratory testing found the bacteria in the company's processing plant and finished sandwiches.
Based on recent laboratory analyses, all in-process and finished products inside the facility have been embargoed and seized.
"Rel's lack of effective measures to bring its food processing operations into compliance with the law poses a serious public health threat," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The company's failure to comply with good manufacturing practice also demonstrates the potential for the company to continue to manufacture contaminated products."
No illnesses have been reported to date from the consumption of Rel's products.
Sectors: Bakery, Food safety, Snacks
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