FDA orders Idaho juice company to shut down

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered a juice company in Ketchum to halt operations after concerns that it was violating food safety laws.

Sun Valley Juice CompanyThe Sun Valley Juice Company is barred from receiving, processing, preparing, packing, holding, or distributing juice until the FDA finds that the company is following federal laws and regulations. Sun Valley Juice Company has complied with the demand to shut down.

The company’s website advertises “freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice.” No one answered the phone at the company Friday.

According to the FDA, the company has repeatedly violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and terms of a consent decree put in place by a judge in 2006. As part of the court-ordered agreement between the company and the FDA, the Sun Valley Juice Company agreed to put a hazard prevention plan in place. The consent decree was part of repeated attempts to help the company come into compliance before the shutdown, according to the FDA.

Because the company does not pasteurize its juice, it has to follow other regulations to ensure its juice is safe to drink and not contaminated with harmful bacteria. Pasteurization is a process that kills the bacteria leading to illness like E. coli.

Sun Valley Juice Company will not be allowed to reopen until FDA inspectors are satisfied its products are safe and that the company will follow safety laws.