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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
Congressional and Public Affairs
Carol Blake (202) 720-9113
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2001—Hop Kee Inc., a food processor and distributor in Chicago, Ill., pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to one felony count and two misdemeanor counts for violating laws administered by the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration.
Hop Kee, Inc. has agreed to pay a $300,000 fine and serve four years probation. Thomas M. Lam, vice-president and chief executive officer of the firm, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts for violating the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by FSIS and FDA, respectively. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec.19 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Hop Kee, Inc. knowingly stored approximately 98,000 pounds of meat and poultry products under insanitary conditions, causing the products to become adulterated, then sold the adulterated poultry products in commerce. An additional 87,000 pounds of food products under the jurisdiction of the FDA were also held under insanitary conditions, causing these products to become adulterated. Insanitary conditions documented by FSIS and FDA included live and dead rats, cockroaches, and birds; as well as rodent nests, excreta, and rodent-gnawed food products. The investigation began as a result of a December 1999 random review by an FSIS compliance officer of a retail store that had purchased products from Hop Kee, Inc.
This plea is the result of the first joint prosecution between FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration under a 1999 Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU was established to permit more efficient use of resources between the two food safety agencies and to improve public health protection.
For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460