California Seafood Company Agrees to Halt Production
Neptune Manufacturing, Inc. must take steps to safely produce seafood, according to the FDA.
A consent decree was filed against
Neptune Manufacturing, Inc. that requires the company and its owners to stop processing and distributing their smoked and pickled seafood products until they have taken specific steps to bring their operation into compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found unsanitary conditions on each of its visits since 2006, including the pathogenic bacterium
Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono) on four occasions, as well as a failure to control for C
lostridium botulinum (C. bot) growth and toxin formation.
L. mono is a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness or even death in groups such as newborns, elderly adults, and those with impaired immune systems. C. bot causes botulism, which can cause paralysis and death without prompt treatment.
"When a company and its owner repeatedly violate the same food safety procedures, their failure to improve their processes and clean up their facility endangers the public," said Melinda K. Plaisier, FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The FDA will take necessary action to protect the food supply from adulteration."