At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, federal marshals seized 5,000 cases of ready-to-eat frozen Jonah crab products processed by Rome Packing Company.
According to the complaint, the products had been prepared, packed and held under unsanitary conditions, and could present a risk to human health. The facility is alleged to have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause life-threatening illness.
It’s being reported by ABC affiliate WCVB5, that U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said the cases were in cold-storage warehouses in Lakeville, Massachusetts. The crab products were manufactured by Rome Packing Company, Inc., formally based in East Providence, Rhode Island, but now in receivership.
“In partnership with the FDA, we are working to ensure food safety,” Ortiz said in a statement. “Lax sanitary practices in the preparation and storage of food products endanger public health. Where necessary we will intervene to prevent contaminated food from reaching consumers.”
The events leading up to the seizure date back to May 2014. At that time, the company issued a recall of their minced crab meat for possible Listeria contamination because routine sampling of the facility had found Listeria contamination. Again, on October 22, 2015, the company issued a recall on their fresh and frozen crab meat for the same reason, Listeria contamination.
The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act authorizes the federal government to seize and condemn food products if they are prepared, packed, or held under unsanitary conditions that may have caused the products to become contaminated with filth or to pose a threat to consumer health.
