FDA shuts down juice-maker

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is temporarily shutting down a juice manufacturer amid concerns over E. coli.

Idaho-based Sun Valley Juice Co. has been ordered to immediately cease operations. The company will not be allowed to receive, process, prepare, pack, hold, or distribute products until further notice, the agency said.

The FDA issued the order only after several failed attempts at requiring the company to comply with regulations, the agency said. 

“When a company repeatedly disobeys food safety laws and regulations, and does not stick to a court-ordered agreement designed to protect public health, the FDA must use the full power of the courts to protect consumers,” Melinda Plaisier, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, said in a statement.

The FDA’s concerns with Sun Valley date back nearly a decade when the company agreed to a court-ordered hazard prevention plan. But the company has failed to follow through on the plan, the agency claims.

“Because Sun Valley Juice Company does not pasteurize its juice, a process known to kill bacteria that could cause illnesses such as E. coli, the company must take other steps to prevent potentially harmful bacteria from contaminating its juice,” the FDA wrote.

Once the FDA is convinced the company is following its regulations, Sun Valley may restart operations, the agency noted.