The Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration recently shut down an unsanitary tofu company in California. The company made a rainbow of soy products, including soy drinks, soft tofu, fried tofu balls and firm tofu. Unfortunately, officials tell us there were some extra, unsanitary colors in their said rainbow.
After repeated FDA violations, the company has agreed to shut down indefinitely, or until their facility is deemed safe by the FDA.
Here are just a few of the items noted in the complaint:
- “Defendants failed to take effective measures to exclude pests from the processing areas and protect the food on the premises from being contaminated by pests.” Insects were found flying around the firm’s tofu processing area and outside of the cooler area. Pigeons were also found sitting outside on top of plastic-wrapped raw soybean pallets.
- Condensation from the ceiling was found dripping onto ready-to-eat bulk tofu and the stainless steel packing table. Mold was apparent near this condensation.
- Bulk fried tofu balls were found packaged in unlabeled plastic bags and none of the ingredients were declared.
- Defendants failed to maintain equipment and utensils. Investigators noted dark yellow residue on the handles and sides of stainless steel trays used to hold ready-to-eat firm tofu. Long white residue strips were also noted on the conveyor belt used to produce firm tofu.
The list goes on and on, including comments about employees not washing their hands and using dirty spatulas they picked up off the floor. Let’s all thank our officials for shutting this company down. Meanwhile, be careful of where you buy your food and what you eat – one never knows what additional ingredients may have been unintentionally added.
