Fruit Juice Manufacturer and Former President Plead Guilty to Food Safety Crimes
The former president and primary owner of the now-closed fruit juice manufacturer Valley Processing Inc. (VPI) in Sunnyside, Washington, pleaded guilty this week to two misdemeanor charges related to the manufacture and sale of tainted fruit juice products in violation of federal food safety laws.
Mary Ann Bliesner, 83, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts under the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FDCA), including failing to register a food facility with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Bliesner also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor FDCA violation in connection with failing to prevent and correct VPI’s introduction of adulterated grape juice concentrate into interstate commerce, including grape juice concentrate that was delivered to a customer for use in the National School Lunch Program.
VPI pleaded guilty to conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded fruit juice into interstate commerce, including selling tainted fruit juice to customers. Bliesner and VPI agreed to pay a criminal forfeiture amount of $742,139 as proceeds of their criminal conduct.
In pleading guilty, VPI admitted that it conspired to distribute tainted and potentially unsafe apple and grape juice to customers in the United States and abroad between October 2012 and June 2019. VPI admitted that it misrepresented to customers the age and quality of VPI’s products. VPI admitted that it blended grape juice concentrate, which was stored outside the VPI facility for years and exposed to the elements, with newer grape juice concentrate, and sold the resulting blended grape juice product to unsuspecting customers as if it were new product.
Bliesner and VPI admitted that they failed to register a food facility, known as the “Grape Road Facility,” with the FDA. Bliesner and VPI used the Grape Road Facility to store earlier seasons’ unsold grape juice concentrate, sometimes for years, in large concrete vats that were not properly covered or cooled. Bliesner and VPI admitted that product stored at the Grape Road Facility was adulterated, unsafe and unfit for consumption.
According to VPI’s plea agreement, during a May 2018 FDA inspection, employees placed caution tape over the entrance to the room at the Grape Road Facility with the concrete storage vats. VPI employees then told FDA investigators that the facility was unsafe to enter and that it contained no juice or juice products. According to the VPI plea agreement, FDA investigators later learned about the vats and, after entering the room, observed grape juice concentrate that testing later confirmed was contaminated with bird and rodent feces, fur, insects, decaying remains of animals, mold, yeast and other contaminants. FDA inspectors also observed and photographed a live rat walking across the hardened crust that had formed on top of the grape juice concentrate.
Bliesner and VPI admitted that they failed to prevent and correct VPI’s introduction of adulterated grape juice concentrate into interstate commerce, including grape juice concentrate that was delivered to a customer for use in the National School Lunch Program. Bliesner and VPI agreed to pay a criminal forfeiture amount of $742,139 as proceeds of their criminal conduct. In a statement, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton said, “Protecting the safety of American’s food supply is essential. The Justice will take action whenever appropriate to ensure the individuals and companies comply with federal food safety laws.
Defendant: Mary Ann Bliesner | Charges: Failing to register a food facility with the FDA and conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded fruit juice into interstate commerce | City/State: Sunnyside, Washington | Date: September 2022 | Outcome: Pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $742,139 in criminal forfeiture | Dollar Amount: $742,139
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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