DOVER, Del. — State and federal inspectors have found multiple problems since 2000 at a Delaware dairy facility whose operations were recently halted because of a deadly food-borne bacteria outbreak, but they found no evidence of listeria contamination at Roos Foods in Kenton until a few weeks ago.
State health officials issued a cease-and-desist letter on Feb. 28 ordering the company to halt all activities related to milk and dairy products. That followed a Food and Drug Administration investigation prompted by a disease outbreak that killed one person in California and sickened seven others in the Washington, DC, suburbs in Maryland.
"As far as we're concerned, the plant is shut down," Jamie Mack, director of community environmental health services for Delaware's Division of Public Health, said Thursday.
Mack said state officials still have not received complete inspection reports from the FDA, which were requested last month.
"As far as I know, they're just not ready to release that information yet," he said, adding that the FDA typically does not notify state officials of planned inspections or provide the inspection reports unless asked.