I hate tofu: Unsanitary San Francisco tofu company shut down because of pigeons, insects, other bad things

Hate’s a strong word, and I reserve it for the things I truly dislike: tofu fits.

San Francisco’s Fong Kee Tofu makes a rainbow of soy products, ranging from soy drinks and soft tofu all the way to fried tofu balls and firm tofu. But according to the Department of Justice and Food and Drug Administration, there were some extra, rather unsanitary colors in Fong Kee’s said rainbow.

tofuGiven repeated FDA violations in 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2010 (2012 was a great year!), Fong Kee has agreed to shut down their Bayview factory operations indefinitely, or until the facility is deemed acceptable by the FDA, according to Food Quality News.

The full complaint is below, but here are some highlights:

“Defendants failed to take effective measures to exclude pests from the processing areas and protect the food on the premises from being contaminated by pests … There were also approximately 20 insects flying around the firm’s tofu processing area, approximately 25 insects flying outside the cooler door, and pigeons sitting outside on top of plastic-wrapped raw soybean pallets.” (18a)

“…condensation from the ceiling dripped onto the ready-to-eat bulk tofu and the stainless steel packing table, and there was apparent mold near this condensation.” (18d)

“Defendants’ bulk fried tofu balls, which are packaged in unlabeled plastic bags, fail to declare any ingredients” (19d)