Multiple Food Safety Violations
Multiple Food Safety Violations Leads to Order Halting Production at Fortune Foods Product, Inc., a Tofu Company in Chicago
Fortune Food Product, Inc., a Chicago-based tofu, sprouts, and soy products producer has been forced to cease production after FDA inspectors allegedly found several food safety violations, including live rodents in the facility. Currently, the FDA has found no reports of illnesses in connection with products from Fortune Food Product, Inc.
The company has faced food safety allegations in the past, including a 2018 warning letter from the FDA stating that, “…significant evidence of rodent activity and insanitary conditions and practices…,” had been found in the facility. Besides collecting evidence of rodent activity near produce, the inspectors also found traces of the food borne illness causing bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
On September 10, 2020, the FDA inspectors filed a complaint, stating that they allegedly witnessed employees immerse their uncovered arms into tofu water, as well using bean sprouts that had fallen on the floor. The complaint also alleged that after several warnings from the FDA, the company failed to comply to food safety regulations.
Consequently, Fortune Food Product entered into a consent decree with the U.S. government, meaning that they agreed to resolve the complaint without admitting guilt. The consent decree subsequently forced production to halt, requiring the company to hire an independent food safety expert and notify the FDA before resuming production. The companies attorney, Peter Y. Qiu, informed the Chicago Tribune that production has ceased and they are currently working with food safety experts to modify all alleged violations.
National food safety Attorney Ron Simon noted that, “… if these allegations are true, the company has risked the lives of consumers for years…,” with allegations reported of food safety violations since 2018. Simon has worked to protect the public from food safety violations for years, including filing the first red onion Salmonella lawsuit in the nation.
