FDA Issues Warning Over Juices Inc. Products

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume any juice products or other beverages from Juices Incorporated (aka Juices International and Juices Enterprises) of Brooklyn, N.Y.  The company's carrot and beet juice products have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.

Although previously distributed in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, Juices Incorporated, products were recently found in retail establishments and restaurants in the New York City area, and consumers may have moved the products beyond this region.

The Juices Incorporated juice products that pose a particular concern for Clostridium botulinum contamination include Carrot Juice Drink, Carrot & Beet Juice Drink, Carrot & Ginger Drink, Double Trouble Carrot Punch, Ginger Beet Juice, and Beet Juice Drink sold under the Juices Incorporated, Juices International and Juices Enterprises brand names.

On Oct. 7, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint for permanent injunction against the owners of Juices Incorporated after FDA inspections revealed continuing violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, including insanitary conditions at the Juices Incorporated facility. Under a January 3, 2011 Consent Decree of Permanent Injunction (Consent Decree), the owners of Juices Incorporated are required to stop manufacturing and distributing any articles of food, including all juice products and other beverages, until they correct the food-safety deficiencies and insanitary conditions at the facility.

On June 21, 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Sandra L. Townes for the Eastern District of New York issued an Order to Enforce Consent Decree after the owners of Juices Incorporated failed to comply with the requirements of the Consent Decree. FDA investigators recently confirmed that Juices Incorporated and its owners continue to manufacture and distribute juice products and other beverages in violation of the Consent Decree and the Court's Order to Enforce Consent Decree.

Because the company was ordered not to manufacture or distribute any food, FDA is also warning consumers not to consume other Juices Incorporated beverages, including but not limited to Ginger Beer Drink, Agony Peanut Punch, Front End Lifter Magnum Punch, Irish Sea Moss, Cashew Punch, Sorrel Drink, Pineapple Twist, Soursop Juice and Corn Punch.