Federal prosecutors have sued a Chinatown wholesale meat and poultry distributor, along with its owner and warehouse manager, for allegedly storing products in a rodent-infested warehouse and violating several food safety laws.
Attorneys with the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed the lawsuit against Ya Feng Trading, Inc., its owner Linmin Yang, and warehouse manager Kong Ping Ni, for the alleged violations in the New York food distribution plant.
According to investigators, the defendants stored more than 40,000 pounds of meat and poultry products in their warehouse, which featured unsanitary conditions in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (“FMIA”) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (“PPIA”).
“Federal law requires food distributors and retailers to ensure that their products are stored in sanitary, uncontaminated conditions,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a statement. “As this lawsuit illustrates, this Office has no tolerance for actors who ignore their legal obligations at the expense of public health.”
Court filings allege that Department of Agriculture inspectors conducted a check of the plant and found multiple rodents running about, including inside a walk-in cooler. The inspectors, according to the lawsuit, also observed both feces and meat with bite marks apparently belonging to rodents.
During the inspection, one rodent allegedly scurried up the leg of one of the federal monitors.
Prosecutors say that, in addition to failing basic health checks, the defendants violated the FMIA and the PPIA many times since their incorporation in 2018 by selling meat and poultry that was misbranded, while also failing to maintain proper records.
As part of the court proceedings, the defendants entered into a “Consent Decree” with the feds, which bars them from conducting business subject to the FMIA or PPIA for at least three years. They must also complete training and educational courses before they are permitted to reenter the industry.
The defendants, as part of the agreement, also admitted to having “repeatedly violated the FMIA and PPIA.”
They will still be subject to further repercussions resulting from the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York.
“Our inspection personnel and investigators are on the job daily, verifying that establishments are complying with food safety regulations,” said Paul Kiecker, the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “FSIS remains committed to public health and we will take swift action to protect American consumers.”
