Ahava cheese plant idled

OGDENSBURG — The troubled Ahava kosher-cheese plant was idled Friday after the state Department of Agriculture and Markets decreed it had produced contaminated food that "could pose a serious danger to the public's health, safety and welfare."

The agency seized 25,000 pounds of cheese after inspectors found "excessive levels" of bacteria and coliform in the products as well as "non-food-grade oil" during a Feb. 10 to 12 visit. The cheese is sold only in bulk, so Agriculture and Markets is identifying which retail outlets may have received Ahava cheese to determine whether it is safe to eat.

Jessica A. Chittenden, an Agriculture and Markets spokeswoman, said the plant, owned by Ahava of California LLC, Venice, Calif., has had "continued and repeated" violations for the past six months.

"During this time, the conditions of the plant have degraded considerably," she said. "In particular, the roof was the biggest issue and the straw that broke the camel's back."

Ms. Chittenden said the roof over the food production area had been compromised, allowing water and other elements to start trickling down.

"It was time to take serious action," she said.

Inspectors, who had been back at the plant every day since Feb. 10, served papers Friday afternoon suspending the plant's operating permit. Although no one is certain of exact numbers, state and local officials said they believe the plant employed about 30 people.

No one answered Friday night at the plant, and attempts to reach someone at Ahava's Brooklyn plant were unsuccessful. The city of Ogdensburg had planned to evict Ahava from its Main Street plant March 10 because the company owed $90,000 in rent and $618,138 in utility payments.

Ahava filed paperwork in July in California for bankruptcy protection, but a federal judge dismissed the action last month.

The city, which owns the plant and some cheese-making equipment, is talking to three parties interested in taking over the plant and restarting production, according to City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra.

Mr. Sciorra was unsure if all of the potential buyers knew that the plant would be shut down for violations, but said at least one of them was working with Ahava employees "to make sure the plant is brought up to snuff."

He declined to divulge the man's name.

"Since the bankruptcy, the plant has not been under watchful management, you might say, for the last eight to 10 months," Mr. Sciorra said. "So that's not surprising" that the operating license was suspended Friday.

Ms. Chittenden said Agriculture and Markets representatives had been making inspections once a month since finding violations in August.

She said inspectors cited the plant for several issues, including leaking roofs in non-production areas, such as the laboratory and offices; shorted lights and extra condensation on equipment because of leaks, and a malfunctioning pasteurizer. Some issues were corrected, Ms. Chittenden said, while others, such as the pasteurizer, languished.

A March 3 hearing has been scheduled to determine whether Ahava's Ogdensburg operating license should be revoked. The suspension Friday and the hearing next month have no bearing on Ahava's operating license for its Lowville plant, Ms. Chittenden said.

Mr. Sciorra said the city would support endeavors to get the plant ready for production again, but added: "I don't see this reopening under Ahava at all. This is going to have to transition."