Tag Archives: Roos Foods

7 sickened, 1 death in 2014 Listeria outbreak; cheese plant fined $100k

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A federal judge has ordered a Delaware cheese company that was the source of a listeria outbreak in 2014 to pay a $100,000 fine.

roos-foods-logo-300x187The judge issued the sentence Thursday after Roos Foods Inc. pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor criminal charge. The company also agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting it from distributing any food products unless it proves compliance with federal food safety laws.

Court records show that federal investigators found significant sanitation problems at Roos Foods after a listeria outbreak killed one person in California and sickened seven others in the Maryland suburbs of Washington.

The Kenton-based company ceased operations in 2014 after the Food and Drug Administration suspended its food facility registration. It has not reopened.

1 dead, 8 sick (3 newborns): Deleware cheese company pleads guilty in 2014 Listeria outbreak

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A specialty cheese manufacturer in Kenton, Delaware, has pleaded guilty to violating federal food and drugs laws that led to a 2014 outbreak of listeria infections from Hispanic-style cheese.

roos-cheese-santa-rosa-de-lima-300pxAfter a criminal and civil complaint was filed this week, Roos Foods Inc., has pleaded guilty to distribution of adulterated cheese in interstate commerce, a misdemeanor, U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III said in a statement Friday.

The company and its principals, Ana A. Roos and Virginia Mejia, also have agreed to a permanent injunction, which requires them to stop processing and distributing food products unless they bring the operations into compliance with federal laws, he said.

The plea stems from a 2014 outbreak in which eight people – five adults and three newborns – in Maryland and California were infected with the L. mono bacterium that causes the disease listeriosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One died as a result of the illness.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspected the company’s Kenton facility and found unsanitary conditions, including roof leaks, rust flakes, un-cleanable surfaces, and product residue on equipment that had purportedly been cleaned, the complaint said. A sample collected at the facility found L. mono on 12 surfaces.

FDA closes cheese plant linked to listeriosis illnesses and death

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The investigation into seven illnesses and a death linked to Hispanic cheese has resulted in suspended operations at a Delaware plant, Roos Foods. According to the Associated Press, FDA inspectors found a mess including poor sanitation and practices.roos-foods-logo
This is only the second time the FDA has used its authority to shut down a plant after gaining that authority in a 2011 food safety law. The agency said Tuesday that its inspectors found unsanitary conditions at Roos Foods in Kenton, Del., including a badly leaking roof, rusting and deteriorating equipment and food residues on equipment even after it had been cleaned.
The FDA said the agency took the action because food manufactured by the company could cause “serious adverse health consequences or death to humans.”
Roos can request a hearing on the decision, and the FDA can restart operations if the agency determines the health threat has been rectified. Calls to Roos Foods on Tuesday seeking comment were not returned.
The company has already recalled a large variety of its products, including many cheeses in its Amigo, Anita, Mexicana, and Santa Rosa de Lima brands. 
Who was buying cheese from this place and did they send anyone out to see what was going on?