Authorities Order Noodle Company In Bay Area To Fix Contamination Risk

ANTIOCH, CA — A Bay Area noodle company has been ordered to stop making and distributing food that is at risk of contamination after repeated violations, according to federal officials.

Authorities alleged in 2022 that Cali Rice Valley Inc. and its general manager and co-owner, Cuong Do, broke the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act at its current Antioch facility and at its previous facility in San Francisco, officials said in the settlement announcement Wednesday.

The company makes ready-to-eat rice noodles and bakery products, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which said the business failed to conduct adequate hazard analysis or implement controls to prevent bacterial contamination. Food and Drug Administration inspections in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 revealed repeat violations despite several warnings, authorities said.

Do declined to comment to the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported investigators had found insects on ingredients, bags with holes and unsanitized utensils and ingredients. Listeria was discovered on product samples and some labels failed to disclose potential allergens, according to the newspaper.

“Food manufacturers have an important duty to ensure the quality and safety of their products,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the department’s Civil Division, said in a news release. “The Justice Department will continue to work closely with the FDA and take action against manufacturers who fail to abide by laws designed to protect public health.”

The business will be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction, according to the department.