Rizo Lopez Foods, a US cheesemaker at the centre of a listeria scare, has been forced to end production at its California facility.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against the Modesto-based company and its co-owners, Edwin Rizo and Tomas Rizo, after an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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They investigated, in collaboration with state and local officials, a multi-state outbreak of listeria linked to fresco- and cotija-type cheeses manufactured by Rizo Lopez.
Listeria can have serious adverse effects for consumers, particularly women who are or may become pregnant, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Complications from the disease can include pneumonia, central nervous system damage, endocarditis, localised abscesses, skin lesions and conjunctivitis.
The FDA/CDC probe identified 26 illnesses, which occurred across 11 states and included 23 hospitalisations. Two individuals subsequently died. Four individuals were pregnant, including one who suffered a pregnancy loss.
In January, the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch got a positive listeria test on a cheese sample and, through coordination with the CDC, connected it to Rizo Lopez.
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By GlobalDataThe FDA inspected the Modesto facility and found the same strain of listeria at the facility and determined that the cheese was the cause of the multi-state illnesses.
In February, Rizo Lopez Foods voluntarily recalled its entire inventory of dairy products.
The company, which specialises in Latino, Mexican and Central American cheeses and owns the Don Francisco brand, will have to correct the violations to the FDA’s satisfaction to determine if it can begin making and distributing products again.
FDA deputy commissioner for human foods Jim Jones said: “Food safety is a critical responsibility. Producers of fresco-type cheeses are responsible for producing safe food, including being in compliance with food safety laws and regulations. Through this unfortunate outbreak, we see what can happen when a company fails to meet their legal responsibilities.”
Last month, US business Boar’s Head said it was closing its liverwurst manufacturing plant in Jarratt where a listeria outbreak caused the deaths of nine people.
Recalls were initiated at the Virginia facility in July as deli meats produced at the site were linked to listeria, which the CDC has said caused 59 consumers to be hospitalised across 19 US states.
