A California food company is on the hook after a federal court slapped it with an injunction for pumping out potentially risky grub, authorities said Wednesday. Cali Rice Valley Inc., which whips up ready-to-eat rice noodles and bakery products, got served with a court order along with its general manager and co-owner, Cuong T. Do, for not playing by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s (FDCA) rules at its facilities in Antioch and previously, San Francisco.
The U.S. Department of Justice put the firm in the hot seat with a civil complaint back on October 11, 2022, where it laid out the no-nos happening under Cali Rice Valley's roof – essentially fumbling with hazard analysis and not putting in the safeguards needed to stop bacteria from gatecrashing into their food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already been keeping an eye on them, with not one, but four inspections from 2019 through 2022 where they kept racking up similar violations, according to the Justice Department's announcement.
"Food manufacturers have an important duty to ensure the quality and safety of their products," Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head honcho of the Justice Department's Civil Division, was quoted. "The Justice Department will continue to work closely with the FDA and take action against manufacturers who fail to abide by laws designed to protect public health."
Michael Rogers, who stands as the Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, threw in his two cents, saying, "The FDA takes its responsibility seriously to ensure the foods we eat are safe, and meet our rigorous standards for food safety." He made it crystal clear, "It is always a firm’s responsibility to ensure the consistent safety of the products they produce and, we will seek to hold them accountable when they fail to meet those standards."
Cali Rice Valley and Do aren’t stirring the pot anymore after deciding to settle the beef with the government. They've consented to a court-approved hug it out session, officially known as a consent decree of permanent injunction. This court-approved deal means they've got to quit manufacturing, processing, packing, holding, or distributing any food items that don't meet the grade, period.
The courtroom battle was spearheaded by Trial Attorney David G. Crockett Jr. and Roger Gural, Senior Trial Attorney of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch, with an assist from Claudia J. Zuckerman, Senior Counsel of the FDA's Office of Chief Counsel. For the curious minds looking to dive deeper into the Consumer Protection Branch's crackdowns, more info can be found at their website.
