Cheese firms plead guilty in separate cases

Three cheese companies have pleaded guilty to different charges in two separate cases, according to the US Department of Justice. Universal Cheese & Drying and International Packing pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to introduce misbranded and adulterated cheese products into interstate commerce and to commit money laundering.

In the other case, Roos Foods pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and was sentenced to pay a fine of $100 000. The firm and its owners, Ana Roos and Virginia Mejia, agreed to a consent decree of permanent injunction which was entered in January 2016.

Universal Cheese & Drying and International Packing agreed to pay $500 000. Michelle Myrter, Castle Cheese Company executive, pleaded guilty as responsible corporate officer to one misdemeanour count of aiding and abetting the introduction of adulterated and misbranded cheese products into interstate commerce, in violation of the FDCA. To read more, click HERE.