U.S. government seeking closure of Ann Arbor area food manufacturer
An Ann Arbor area food processor could be shut down after the federal government discovered numerous violations at its facility on Airport Boulevard near the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a permanent injunction to shut down Pittsfield Township-based Rosewood Products, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The company "has failed to prevent employees from handling food products with bare, unclean hands, clean surfaces that come into contact with food or ensure that the plant is equipped with adequate sanitary facilities," the federal government asserted, according to the Free Press.
Rosewood, which makes soy-based foods and vegan products, is reportedly disputing the accusations.
The company has about seven employees, an Ann Arbor SPARK executive told AnnArbor.com in an email. The company has been in business since 1976, according to its website.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
Dog Guy
Fri, Mar 30, 2012 : 9:29 p.m.
Does eating even contaminated tofu result in smug superiority?
WakeUpNow
Sat, Mar 31, 2012 : 2:34 p.m.
I guess you could die a smug superior being after eating contaminated tofu!!!!
Michisbest
Fri, Mar 30, 2012 : 4:32 p.m.
I think touching a dirt encrusted switch then touching the Tofu may help the taste that stuff is nasty.
Sarah Rigg
Fri, Mar 30, 2012 : 12:54 p.m.
Try reading the letter of warning to this company (on the FDA website). Any one detail is pretty gross (an employee touching dirt-encrusted power switch and then using unwashed hands to touch tofu, for instance) but add them all together, and I would not eat something from this company. I don't see a conspiracy against the small mom-n-pop business but rather them rightly shutting down a company that doesn't seem to care at all about food safety.
ffej440
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 5:41 p.m.
lisasimpson is correct. The site she lists has the same complaints noted in 2008. most of the voilations seem easy to fix. I can't imagine a food service company with so little regard to public health . They should be closed down.
Chimay
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 5:09 p.m.
Interesting. A little research reveals that this company supplies some of the Lightlife products. Lightlife is owned by ConAgra. I stopped purchasing those products when I learned that a handful of years ago. I sure wish Rosewood had supplied under its own brand locally. That Gimme Lean sausage was the best.
capersdaddy
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
i was raised on their tofu, have eaten SO much of it - never a problem.
xmo
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.
I bet that Most Of the People at RoseWoods Products Voted For President Obama and Bigger Government! Right or Wrong, the government is always right!
clownfish
Fri, Mar 30, 2012 : 1:59 p.m.
Any proof of this claim? Do you have any evidence to support your claim that those that voted for Obama believe what you think they believe? Or, is it likely that it is easier for you to assign a belief system to a group of people in order to create a group of "Others", than it is to actually reach out and find out what people actually think?
ffej440
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 5:47 p.m.
Not a good example for the big government argument. Most people trust the Feds to keep our food safe.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:24 p.m.
This seems odd that they would want to shut down this company permanently, instead of getting the company to correct the problem. Did they not donate enough money to the Obama admin?
ffej440
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.
They don't seem to care about correcting the problem- feds have already given them four years.
dading dont delete me bro
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
another reason why meat is good. ima have a bacon on bacon sandwich fur lunch.
lisasimpson
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:08 p.m.
This is not a new problem with this company. Looks like the FDA has asked for some assistance. This is the letter they were sent LAST year. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2011/ucm254923.htm
Dcam
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
This sounds similar to a case in California during Clinton's shutdown small producers phase. A small sausage maker, which had been in business well over 100 years, was told to comply with mandated sausage-making techniques authorized by the FDA. Their sausage changed drastically, losing all the quality for which they were known. The company reverted to using their own method and the FDA became very hostile, confrontational and it ended by a shoot out, and the owner was arrested for murder. In that company's 100 years of production, not one case of even the slightest problem had been caused by their sausages, while the major producers were having tons of products recalled - it seemed monthly - for various comtamination reasons. Today, little has changed - we still see massive contamination, coming primarily from the corporate producers, which are immune from prosecution and shut downs.
M
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:09 p.m.
My link got mangled, try http://tinyurl.com/aasausagemurder
M
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 4:08 p.m.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Alexander_%28businessman_and_murderer%29 Stuart Alexander, "The Sausage King". Basically, he undercooked his sausage, and inspectors continued to show up, trying to get the issue resolved. He claimed he was being harassed, and after months of them still coming to inspect, and him trying to get rid of them, he opened fire with three semi-automatic pistols, killing 3 of the 4 inspectors. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Being hassled by food inspectors does not make a murderer. The man was unstable beforehand. The FDA inspectors on the day of their deaths were waiting in a lobby, were non-confrontational, and were taken completely unawares. They were also all grandparents and set to retire soon. Don't defend this monster.
Technojunkie
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 3:21 p.m.
The feds hate small independent food makers. It's beneath the bureaucrats' station to go slumming in those backwaters when they feel that they should be at big companies that have nice offices for them and such. Joel Salatin talks about this in his books and the resulting destruction of local and regional food processors. It helps to have the money big companies do to buy protection from their congressmen too.
Technojunkie
Fri, Mar 30, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.
Read "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal" by Joel Salatin. People's Food Co-Op is bringing him to the Michigan Theater in April. Maybe he'll cover the topic there. Most of what the federal government does is security theater at best.
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 9:48 p.m.
Now, where is your proof? we need proof, hear say is nothing, just bologna, like the Hutaree trial.
jcj
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 : 3 p.m.
There will be some that WILL believe this story: BECAUSE The U.S. Department of Justice is the one seeking a permanent injunction to shut them down. There will be some that will NOT believe this story: BECAUSE The U.S. Department of Justice is the one seeking a permanent injunction to shut them down. Think Hutaree trial.