Dec. 04--A Los Angeles seafood company specializing in smoked and pickled fish was ordered shut by a federal judge over unsanitary conditions.
Neptune Manufacturing Inc. can't reopen until it meets compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Neptune Manufacturing, located on Pico Boulevard near Mid City, prepares, processes and packs ready-to-eat smoked and pickled fish such as herring, steelhead trout and halibut, the FDA said.
The agency conducted seven health inspections at the company's facility since 2006. On every visit, investigators discovered safety violations. On four occasions, investigators found evidence of listeria, a dangerous bacterium. Three separate times investigators found clostridium botulinum growth, which can lead to botulism.
Cutting utensils were found with dried fish on them and exposed cracks in the floor allowed water to pool up -- increasing the likelihood of contamination, according to a separate statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.
No illnesses have been linked to the company, the FDA said.
The injunction against the company names Neptune's owners, Alexander Goldring, Peter Oyrekh and Semyon Krutovsky. They could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.
"When a company and its owners repeatedly violate the same food safety procedures, their failure to improve their processes and clean up their facility endangers the public," said Melinda K. Plaisier, the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The FDA will take necessary action to protect the food supply from adulteration."
david.pierson@latimes.com
Twitter: @dhpierson
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