Sacramento Tofu Business Owners Dispute DOJ Findings That Shuttered Factory

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The owners of a popular Sacramento facility are speaking out following accusations of operating under "filthy" and unsanitary conditions.

The Department of Justice shut them down, citing a history of violations, including mold and salmonella.

The owners say their tofu is safe and high grade and showed CBS13 their facilities.

The popular packaged tofu is still sold at Asian markets throughout California, but the Sacramento plant that produces the fermented beans is now closed, slapped with an injunction ordering the facility to stop selling its soy and tofu products immediately.

"It's a shock for us too because this is 29 years of family business," said owner Opal Lin.

Federal food inspectors shut down the family business she started with her husband out of their backyard. She says employees kept it clean to the best of their abilities.

"Every time they came to inspect we changed accordingly to make corrections," she said.

But a 15-page complaint from the Department of Justice says Wa Heng Dou-Fu And Soy Sauce has an extensive history of operating its facility under unsanitary conditions. Inspectors say it distributed "adulterated and misbranded" products, and tested positive for salmonella.

Martin Lin says inspectors tested drainage and wheels on food carts and not the actual food.

Inspectors say they observed equipment with heavy residue as well as a tofu cutting knife with "greenish-brown buildup" used to slice tofu.

"Before, we not take it very seriously," Martin Lin said. "This is our mistake because we think our food is safe."

For now, the heavy-duty machinery that produced the tofu is turned off until the Lins bring their plant up to code. The family plans to spend $120,000 on that effort before petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to reopen the facility.