NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey-based cheese maker whose products are sold on the East Coast was shut down because it failed to fix conditions that the Food and Drug Administration deemed unsanitary, a newspaper reported.
Federal food safety officials found repeated violations at Quesos Mi Pueblito, a division of the Mexican food products manufacturer that produces cheeses popular in Latin American cuisine.
Federal inspectors found 17 alleged hazards during six visits in 2009. An inspection this year found cheeses contaminated with listeria, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
Mi Pueblito cheeses were sold in grocery stores and supermarkets in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Owner Felix Sanchez told The Record newspaper for Tuesday's editions that he planned to restart cheese-making operations soon. A message left for attorney Anthony Fusco, listed in court documents as representing the company, was not returned.
Federal authorities got an injunction against the company in May, ordering it to halt operations unless it could prove, through outside monitors, that it was complying with a list of requirements outlined by the FDA.
