Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc.
Outcome
Federal court entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Rizo Lopez Foods barring all food manufacturing operations after a decade-long multistate Listeria outbreak linked to queso fresco and cotija cheese caused 26 illnesses, 23 hospitalizations, 2 deaths, and 1 pregnancy loss.
Details
Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc. — Decade-Long Listeria Outbreak / Consent Decree (2024)
Outcome: A federal court entered a consent decree of permanent injunction on October 8, 2024, barring Rizo Lopez Foods from manufacturing or distributing food products until it fully remediates its facilities and receives FDA approval to resume operations.
Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc., of Modesto, California, manufactured queso fresco, cotija cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and other dairy products sold under multiple brand names, with distribution nationwide and in Canada. Beginning as far back as June 2014, CDC, FDA, and state public health partners have tracked a multistate cluster of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to the firm's products. As of the February 2024 investigation closure, 26 people across 11 states (AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, NV, NC, OR, TN, TX, WA) had been infected with the outbreak strain, with 23 hospitalizations, 2 deaths (one in California, one in Texas), and 1 pregnancy loss.
The triggering event for the 2024 enforcement action was a routine sample collected in January 2024 by the Hawaii State Department of Health's Food and Drug Branch, which tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in Rizo Bros Aged Cotija cheese. FDA investigators then inspected the Modesto facility in January–February 2024 and found the same Listeria strain in environmental samples from two locations within the plant, alongside insanitary conditions indicating systemic sanitation failures.
On February 7, 2024, Rizo Lopez Foods voluntarily recalled its entire inventory of dairy products regardless of sell-by date — approximately 120 products. The DOJ filed a civil complaint on September 27, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The consent decree of permanent injunction was entered October 8, 2024, and names co-owners Edwin Rizo and Tomas Rizo individually. The decree prohibits any food manufacturing at the firm's facilities until corrective actions are verified by FDA. The company subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
Primary Source: Federal Court Enters Consent Decree Against Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. | FDA
How Crucible Prevents This
A decade-long contamination timeline (2014–2024) demonstrates catastrophic failure of both internal food safety plans and the regulatory feedback loop. Crucible's DECISIONS log and recurring session-gate reviews would force documented acknowledgment of unresolved pathogen findings — preventing the multi-year drift that allowed this outbreak to continue. The insanitary conditions found during FDA's January–February 2024 inspection (same Listeria strain in two facility locations) indicate no corrective action was sustained after prior positive findings.
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