Federal authorities raided a Baton Rouge sandwich company Friday, seizing tuna salad sandwiches and other food after inspectors said they found widespread rodent and insect infestations. But the general manager of the company says reports of rodents and insects are “false,” and the issue has to do with a failure to submit paperwork.
“This is killing our reputation,” says Ricky Bearden, general manager of the Bearden Sandwich Company, which does business as Southern Belle Sandwich Company. No illnesses associated with the products have been reported. At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals raided Bearden Sandwich Company’s office on North Lobdell Avenue.
The company distributes products to convenience and retail stores in southern Louisiana; Mobile and Montgomery, Ala.; and Crestview, Fla. The FDA said in a statement that recent inspections found evidence of filthy conditions and poor employee practices, such as allowing food-processing utensils to lie on the floor near live insects.
The seized products were prepared, packed and held under unsanitary conditions and might have become “contaminated with filth or rendered injurious to the public’s health,” the statement said.
Bearden says his company didn’t submit documents detailing the company’s food safety standards in a timely manner. The sandwiches that were seized are in a cooler at Bearden because they might be unsanitary. But after the FDA reviews the company’s standards, the sandwiches will be shipped to stores, Bearden says.—Timothy Boone
