U.S. Marshals have seized food products from a V.I.P. Foods warehouse that manufactures and distributes kosher food products here, after the Food and Drug Administration found widespread rodent infestation in the facility.
During an inspection in late February, FDA investigators found several violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act including live rodents, a dead desiccated rodent, and rodent tracks, gnaw holes and rodent droppings in and near food products. The FDA obtained a warrant and seized the food on Friday.
“V.I.P. Foods housed various dried mixes and bases, such as chicken soup base, blueberry muffin mix and bread crumbs; and the conditions inside this warehouse were just deplorable,” said Melinda Plaisier, the FDA’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, in a statement.
Some of V.I.P. Foods products are distributed under the name VIP Foods Inc., VIP or KoJel, but V.I.P. Foods distributes other products under private label. To date no illnesses have been associated with its products.
