The Region : 23 Stores Accused of Illegal Cheese Sales

Misdemeanor charges were filed by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office against 23 local market owners for allegedly selling illegally made Mexican-style soft cheese. Prosecutors said the charges stemmed from a two-day raid on the markets by county health inspectors after tests confirmed the presence of Listeria bacteria in soft cheese found last July in a South Los Angeles market. In 1985, Jalisco Mexican-style cheese contaminated with the bacteria left at least 39 people dead in the nation’s worst food-poisoning outbreak. Deputy City Atty. Ruth Kwan said the markets charged with violating the state Health and Safety Code were unable to show proof that the cheese came from a legally licensed manufacturer or distributor. A number of the defendants are also charged with operating without a valid county Health Department permit. The defendants are to be arraigned Feb. 19. If convicted, they could be jailed and fined.