Owners of a retail food market in Quincy entered a settlement with the government after they were accused of selling meat and poultry that was misbranded, not federally-inspected or was illegally imported from places outside the United States, such as China.
The consent decree was reached with the owners and operators of Quincy Convenience Store, Wei Zheng, and Cun Yong Liu, the office of U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy announced Wednesday. It resolves accusations that Zheng and Liu had violated the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA).
Zheng and Liu had been investigated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA, who told the shop owners multiple times to stop their illegal meat and poultry sale and purchase activities, the office said. The USDA cited the owners and their store for not maintaining proper business records of the raw foods.
More than 440 pounds of meat and poultry that were not federally inspected or were misbranded was found during the most recent USDA inspection at the store -- including 34 pounds of meat and poultry illegally imported from China, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
With the consent decree announced Wednesday, the store and owners will face significant penalties if there are further violations of the FMIA and PPIA, and allows investigators wide access to future inspections and business records.
"Consumers deserve to trust that the food they purchase is produced and sold under safe and sanitary conditions," said Levy.
"This consent decree not only holds the defendants accountable for their repeated failures to comply with federal food safety laws but also protects the public by ensuring rigorous oversight moving forward. Our office will continue to work diligently to uphold the integrity of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, safeguarding the health and safety of our communities," Levy said.
The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit.