Roya Foods LLC is recalling raw, frozen Halal Manti Beef Dumplings because they were produced without being inspected as required by federal law, however, the product has virtually no label codes to distinguish it.
The Paterson, NJ, food distributor shipped the beef dumplings to restaurants and retailers in five states, according to a recall notice…
A Michigan company is recalling more than 14 tons of salami, bologna, sausage and hot dogs made from poultry, pork and beef, according to a notice from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Winter…
Golden Platter Foods Inc. of Newark, NJ, has recalled 15.8 tons of ready-to-eat, breaded poultry and beef products because they were made with batter and cracker meal that contained milk, a known allergen that isn’t declared on the labels.
Under federal law, the labeling problem is considered “misbranding” because milk is one of several allergens…
Congress was not “clear and unambiguous,” but the “better reading” of federal law finds it did not intend to withhold jurisdiction from the district courts in deciding criminal violations under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. That finding by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit means the criminal convictions of William B. Aossey…
When it went through the trial court, the case just seemed like a switch-a-roo scheme that got busted. But now, a consolidated appeal with oral arguments planned is sparking broader interest because it’s become a question about the jurisdiction of federal courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has allowed the federal…
Iowa’s Halal exporting company where for five years workers erased mandatory USDA Establishment numbers on products to hide the source of orders destined for Malaysia and Indonesia can continue in business. The U.S. Department of Agriculture came close to shutting down Midamar Corp. of Cedar Rapids, IA, which exports 200 Halal certified meat and poultry…
Another long-time food company executive is headed to federal prison. 
William B. Aossey Jr., the founder and long-time chief executive of Iowa’s Midamar Corp., was sentenced today to two years in a federal prison yet to be assigned, followed by three years of supervised probation. Linda R. Reade, chief judge for the U.S. District Court…
After every successful prosecution comes the sentencing. But in several high profile criminal cases involving food safety, sentencing is turning out to be pretty complicated. Take the case of 74-year-old William B. Aossey Jr. He’s the Iowan who built Midamar Corp. and Islamic Services of America (ISA) into a successful Halal food exporter. Then, in…
Ahead of the yet-to-be scheduled sentencing of the defendants, the government wants to be relieved of the burden of notifying individual victims of a scheme that altered and falsified the true USDA establishment numbers on beef products exported from the United States. Government attorneys have asked the U.S. District Court for Northern Iowa to allow…
A preliminary order of forfeiture has been entered in the U.S. District Court for Northern Iowa requiring defendants Midamar Corporation and Islamic Services of America to pay a judgment of $600,000 to the federal government. Signed by Chief Judge Linda R. Reade, the order was entered after the business entities each pleaded guilty to one…
Outlines of the plea agreements between the government and brothers Jalel and Yahya Nasser Aossey were coming into focus ahead of today’s federal court hearings in Cedar Rapids, IA. 
Court documents suggest that Jalel Aossey and the corporate entities are each being allowed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy. Yahya Nasser Aossey…
