A MyBallard reader writes, “At the Farmers’ Market in Ballard, I noted that the Estrella Family Creamery didn’t have cheese for sale, but rather a bunch of notices that they’d been raided by Federal agents(!?) What’s the story behind this?”
Our news partner, The Seattle Times, is reporting that Estrella Family Creamery was shut down by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last Friday for fear that some of the cheese may be contaminated with the bacteria called listeria. The FDA does not have the authority to issue recalls, but oftentimes a business will issue one at the request of the federal agency. In this case, according to the Seattle Times, the creamery declined.
Earlier this year, Estrella issued several recalls after the Washington State Department of Agriculture found listeria on cheese samples. “We very aggressively went after the problem,” co-owner Kelli Estrella told the Seattle Times. All the cheese aging in that particular cave was destroyed and production stopped while they improved the facility, the Times reports.
Here is the entire article by the Seattle Times: Estrella Family Creamery shut down by FDA after bacteria found
(Photo of the sign hanging at the University Farmers Market from Jon Rowley @oysterwine via Twitter)
well – I, for one, got quite sick after eating Estrella cheese purchased at a local market. I can’t be certain it was the cheese, but it happened during the last Estrella recall. The follow-up was spotty at best.
Line of the Seattle Times article: “To me the subject of this whole thing isn’t really about listeria,” she said. “It’s about liberty and freedoms.”
Yeah! Give me liberty and then give me death!!!
That’s why we have regulations. It’s not just a way for the government to harsh on people’s mellow.
In the good old days, when businesses did whatever they felt like, people used to DIE from poisoned food all the time.
The same thing happened to me and I had to go to the hospital. Although I couldn’t specifically say it was the cheese, I had my suspicions.
well, it’d be nice if the nasty huge meat factory farms got this sort of attention….
yes, if they sold you raw meet and told you it was healthier if you didn’t cook it they would. Duh.
i know this fammlie before they moved to this location very careing people of wild life and others this has to hurt them in alotof ways becuse i know how they are i hope they can move on and still prduce what they want and live thare dream peace bj