The US Food and Drug Administration has shut down the cream cheese operations of Lifeway Foods, citing violations of food safety laws.
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In a complaint filed with Justice Department, the FDA accused Lifeway of inadequately labelling cream cheese products and failing to disclose major food allergens.
The FDA also alleged that Lifeway produced seafood-based cream cheese without an adequate safety plan and failed to document that it had monitored sanitation conditions.
Cream cheese production was consequently halted at plants in Skokie and Philadelphia.
The FDA said the move follows Lifeway’s “extensive history of violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act dating back to at least 2004”.
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By GlobalData“We simply can’t allow companies to put the public’s health at risk by not having adequate procedures and plans to produce safe food and proper labeling,” said Margaret O’K. Glavin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “We will work to take action against companies and their executives that violate the law.”
However, Lifeway has downplayed the news, pointing out that cream cheese only accounts for between 0.5% and 1% of sales.
“Our main business comes from kefir,” a spokesperson for the company told just-food. “Cream cheese production ceased at the factory in Skokie some time ago. Cream cheese production in Philadelphia has been halted, but other products are still being made at the site.”
Responding to the allegations, Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky commented: “We vigorously disagree with the allegations of the complaint. These same products have been produced for over 15 years for a very small and select group of customers in the Philadelphia area without one consumer complaint, and while we of course respect the government’s position, we do not agree with their unfounded assertions.”
This latest setback comes a day after Lifeway posted a 2% drop in first-quarter profits due to increased milk prices.
