Federal court enjoins restaurant against preparing and distributing fish products
Michel Cordon Bleu, Inc., based in Los Angeles, California, has been enjoined by a federal court from preparing, processing, and distributing adulterated fish or fishery products without first taking the required remedial action. The restaurant, owned by Michel G. Blanchet, was found in violation of food safety regulations for processing and distributing seafood products.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ordered the injunction against the restaurant, requiring Blanchet to implement various consumer safety measures before resuming the preparation, processing, or distribution of fish or fishery products. The injunction stems from a complaint the Department of Justice filed on Oct. 3, 2017, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
That complaint alleged that Blanchet failed to comply with federal regulations by failing to adequately control the risk of Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono) and Clostridium botulinum (C bot.) toxin formation in vacuum-packed fish or fishery products. Regulations require businesses that process and sell fish products to conduct a hazard analysis to determine whether there are food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur during the processing of each kind of fish or fishery product that it processes.
The FDA inspected Blanchet’s business on numerous occasions and found Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in multiple locations throughout the facility. If Blanchet intends to resume processing and distributing fish products, he must notify FDA in writing in advance, comply with specific remedial measures set forth in the injunction, and allow his facility to be subject to FDA inspection.
Listeriosis is an infection that causes fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and muscle aches. Botulism is food poisoning caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is a rare kind of food poisoning, but it is just as serious as common infections like salmonella or E. coli.
For more information about the case involving Michel Cordon Bleu, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901.
