FDA Halts Production at Food Plant After Listeria Found

Production was voluntarily halted at a food manufacturing plant in New York State after investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) found Listeria monocytogenes(L. Mono) in food preparation areas during site visits conducted over three years, the federal agency announced in a press release Tuesday.

On Monday, a federal judge entered a permanent injunction against Royal Seafood Beza Inc. and Euroline Foods LLC; their co-owners Eduard Shnayder, Syoma Shnayder, and Albert Niyazov; and Oleg Polischouk, a manager. With the court’s move, the companies are blocked from receiving, preparing, processing, packing, holding, labeling, and distributing foods at a facility they jointly own in New York State and at other facilities.

“FDA investigators found widespread L. monocontamination at the Euroline and Royal Seafood Facility,” said Melinda K. Plaisier, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs at FDA, in a statement. “With this agreement, the company will not be able to bring any contaminated products or potentially contaminated products to market. Conditions where the products were being produced were unacceptable, and the FDA took action to protect Americans.”

Investigators examined the facility in 2015, 2016 and 2017, identifying violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) during each visit, including failure to ahere to seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. 

Under the terms of the U.S. District Court order, the companies must retain an independent lab to analyze food samples for L. mono,have a qualified independent expert help the firms develop a program to control L. monoand get the facility in compliance with CGMP, and perform other actions that correct hazards. 

FDA officials said Royal Seafood Beza and Euroline Foods face agency oversight and the possibility of another shutdown to correct violations if the food manufacturing facilities are allowed to reopen.

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