For the second time in a little more than a year, federal regulators have shut down Portland Shellfish Co., citing “numerous violations” of federal laws and health regulations and its agreement to fix food safety problems identified in early 2011.
The Food and Drug Administration also has ordered Portland Shellfish, which processes lobster and shrimp at its plant off Riverside Street, to recall and destroy seafood that the company's president said is worth about $25,000.
According to a letter to the company from FDA officials, Portland Shellfish won't be allowed to reopen until it updates its plans and procedures for making sure the seafood it processes is safe.
The FDA’s letter, dated Monday and obtained by The Portland Press Herald, said a conveyor belt used in shrimp processing at the plant tested positive in February for listeria, a bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections.
The FDA said the company processed lobster in the same room during the period just before the positive test, and said that lobster must be recalled and destroyed.
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