Prompted by inspection violations, authorities raid United Food Service warehouse

SILVER SPRING, Md. U.S. Marshals raided a warehouse in East Point, Ga., Wednesday, seizing an estimated $700,000 worth of packaged food products.

The marshals were acting under a court order obtained by the Food and Drug Administration, which had found widespread rodent infestation in the warehouse during an inspection between Sept. 22 and Oct. 1. FDA investigators had found dozens of living and dead rodents and nests, as well as droppings, urine stains and gnaw holes in food packaging. The warehouse is operated by Atlanta-based Sun Hong Kai Holding, which does business under the name United Food Service and used the warehouse to store rice and other foods.

“United Food Service not only failed to protect the food in this warehouse; it [also] failed to act promptly to correct the violations,” FDA associate commissioner for regulatory affairs Dara Corrigan said. “This prompted the FDA, working together with its state partner, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, to take these aggressive enforcement actions to protect the health of consumers.”