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Cheesecake Facility Needs A Lift

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The building, equipment, and employees at Yo Lily Cheesecake Co., a food-manufacturing firm owned by C. V. Foods Corp. in Chula Vista, CA, are among the deficiencies Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors have found.

FDA said its February inspection of the Yo Lily Cheesecake Co. were originally outlined in a Form 483 report, which the company responded to on Feb. 26, 2010.  However, that response, mostly containing photographs of cleaning and repairs that were made to its facilities, did not respond to all FDA concerns, especially those involving employee practices.

In a May 6 warning letter to the cheesecake maker, FDA warned that if the facility is not brought into prompt compliance, legal action may be taken including processing seizure orders and the use of injunctions.

FDA found several problems at the cheesecake manufacturing company.   Included were:

-Employees not thoroughly washing their hands in an adequate hand washing facility

-Uncovered in-process carrot cakes were being stored below buckets containing black, grey, and green mold

-Butter cream and ocean cream cheese icings were subject to pathogen growth because they reach temperatures of 64 and 65 degrees.

-Building was not being properly maintained, including black grime and food residues on the ramps to freezers, an unidentified sticky substance on light fixtures, and spilled liquid and dry ingredients found under racks where raw ingredients and in-process foods are being stored in the cooler.

-Equipment not being maintained.  Encrusted ingredients were found on the equipment. Sticky substance was found on control panels. A cleaning solution was found too diluted to be effective.

-Employees were drinking beverages in the food preparation areas.

-Freezer doors did not seal properly

-Neither sanitary towels nor electric hand dryers were available.

-Plumbing was inadequate.

-Garbage disposal, including food-manufacturing trash, was inadequate.

-Fruit flies were found inside the plant.

FDA's Los Angeles district office has requested the owners of Yo Lily's to respond within 15 days with its plans for coming into compliance.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on May 19, 2010 (boomark / email).