Texas State Food Department Close Down Factory

By Christopher Walker
Oct 21 2010

The Associated Press reported today that health officials in the state of Texas have closed down a food processing plant in San Antonio.

They have also asked the company to recall all the products that have been sent out from the month of January.

The name of the company under the scanner is the SanGar Produce & Processing Co. The items that have been recalled are vegetables, fresh-cut fruits that are distributed to hospitals, restaurants and schools as reported by the Health Services department of Texas.

The plant was closed down on Wednesday after it was found that at least six cases out of the known ten cases of listeriosis after the patients consumed celery chopped at the plant. They however did not tell how many of the deaths have been related to this plant. Muscle aches, fever, vomiting and diarrhea are the symptoms of this disease.

Most of the people who have fallen Ill due to this disease belong to the Travis, Bexar and Hidalgo counties.

The inspectors from the health department found that there were some major problems with sanitation at this plant in San Antonio. They found over the food production area a condensation leak. The officials have warned the company not to restart the operations without the permission from the department.

The president of the company Kenneth Sanquist Jr. had defended the company’s safety record late on Wednesday. He told that results of the test conducted by the state department are completely opposite to that of an independent testing done on the same products. The independent testing he claimed showed that the products are completely safe.

The state has asked consumers not to use products manufactured at the plant.