FDA Shuts Down New Jersey Cheese Maker

A New Jersey-based cheese producer that the FDA says failed to correct unsanitary conditions has been shut down.

Federal food safety officials found repeated violations at Quesos Mi Pueblito in Passaic. The company produces Mexican products and made various cheeses popular in Latin American cuisine.

Owner Felix Sanchez tells The Record newspaper he plans to restart the cheese making operations in the near future.

Federal inspectors found 17 alleged hazards during six visits in 2009. An inspection earlier this year turned up cheeses contaminated with Listeria.

Mi Pueblito cheeses were sold in grocery stores and supermarkets in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia.