Jordan’s pays $109,000 fine for fatty meats

AUGUSTA – Federal prosecutors have reached a civil settlement with Jordan’s Meats on allegations that it manufactured meat products that exceeded federal fat standards and then falsified reports to cover it up.

Under the settlement, the company that owns Jordan’s Meats paid the U.S. government nearly $109,000 in fines, according to U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby.

The settlement involved the former Jordan’s facility in Augusta, which manufactured cooked sausage products such as hot dogs and bologna.

Employees there falsified reports to make it look like the products complied with minimum federal standards for fat content when in fact they violated the standards at least 11 percent of the time, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The violations were discovered by a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigator who was doing an onsite review, said Evan Roth, assistant U.S. attorney.

He stumbled across a report that showed several items out of compliance that were reported as being in compliance, Roth said. The violations occurred between Dec. 30, 1998, and Jan. 17, 2002.

Federal regulations say that hot dogs can’t be more than 40 percent fat and added water, said Mark Hopson, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who represented Jordan’s Meats. But the Jordan’s products that came from supermarket shelves were found to have up to 42 percent fat and added water, he said.

“We’re not talking about levels that were obvious,” Hopson said.

Jordan’s is owned by Zemco Industries, a subsidiary of Foodbrands America Inc. and doing business as Russer Foods.

“Because we were the owners when the relevant misconduct occurred, the company remains responsible even though the plant itself is closed,” Hopson said.

After the misconduct was uncovered, the plant’s quality assurance manager was charged with and pleaded guilty to obstruction of proceeding before departments-agencies. In 2004, she was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $3,000.