U.S. Marshals have seized food at a Ridgewood, New York warehouse that manufactures and distributes kosher food products after widespread rodent infestation was found. The FDA investigated the facility and initiated the seizure.
A warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on April 3, 2013. The inspection that discovered the problem took place in late February. FDA investigators found “unsanitary conditions throughout the facility in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act. The conditions included live rodents, a dead, desiccated rodent, an what appeared to be rodent tracks, rodent gnaw holes, and rodent excreta pellets in or near food products.”
Melinda K. Plaisier, the FDA’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs said, “V.I.P. Foods housed various dried mixes and bases, such as chicken soup base, blueberry muffin mix and bread crumbs; and the conditions inside this warehouse were just deplorable. We will continue to take aggressive action to protect public health.”
Some of the products are distributed under the name VIP Foods Inc., VIP, V.I.P., or KoJel. The company also distributes products under private labels. No illnesses or adverse events related to the use of these products have been reported to date.
