A former Walton creamery and owner pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce in federal court Tuesday, March 5, according to a press release issued by the United State Justice Department.
Johannes Vulto and Vulto Creamery, LLC pleaded guilty admitting their role in a 2016-17 outbreak that killed two people and hospitalized six others.
Vulto, a Dutch-born cheesemaker, opened Vulto Creamery in Walton in 2012. The first cases of Listeria to result from the cheese were reported four years later in September 2016, and Vulto shutdown the creamery in March, 2017 after the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall on Vulto’s cheeses.
Listeria is a pathogenic bacteria commonly found in unpasteurized dairy products, raw fruits and vegetables, deli meats, and smoked fish, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While it does not generally cause serious illness, it can be especially harmful to elderly people, people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women and young children.
According to the press release, Vulto swabbed 20 locations at the creamery to be tested for Listeria between 2014 and 2017, and 18 of those 20 tested positive for the bacteria.
As part of the negotiated plea and sentence agreement, Vulto is expected to pay a $100,000 fine and is scheduled to be sentenced July 9.
The maximum sentence the charge carries is up to one year in jail, followed by one year of supervised released and a maximum fine of $250,000.
