At the request of FDA, the US Department of Justice filed a complaint for permanent injunction in US District Court against Michigan-based S. Serra Cheese Company.

According to FDA, during laboratory tests in 2013, government officials found non-pathogenic E. coli in company products and Listeria innocua at the company’s facility.

Since the tests and subsequent FDA inspections, the complaint alleges the company failed to implement effective monitoring and sanitation controls in accordance with the current requirements for food. A warning letter was then issued to the company.

A permanent injunction would prohibit S. Serra Cheese Company from receiving, preparing, processing, packing, holding or distributing food until the company brings operations into compliance with the law.

“When a company ignores warnings or refuses to address food safety issues that put consumers at risk, the FDA must take action,” said Melinda Plaisier, FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “FDA protects public health by enforcing regulations that require companies to handle and prepare food products in accordance with good manufacturing procedures.”

Based in Clinton Township, Michigan, the company manufactures and distributes cheeses within the states of Michigan, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania.

No illnesses associated S. Serra Cheese products have been reports.