Contact Persons:
Martha J. Donohoe, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit, Santa Clara County
(408) 792-2570 Don Gartner, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit, Santa Cruz County
(831) 454-2564 For Immediate Release on April 12, 2002 Milfico Foods, a Chicago distributor of frozen fish, poultry and meat, has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought jointly by the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Offices. The civil lawsuit and settlement documents were filed in the Santa Cruz County Superior Court on April 12, 2002. The complaint alleges that Milfico included the weight of ice glaze in the labeled weight of the frozen seafood it sold. California law requires a food wholesaler or retailer to provide a weight statement, which lists only useable product. Items such as packing material, packaging, the wax surrounding cheese or ice encasing frozen food cannot be included in labeled weight. In a stipulated judgment, Milfico did not admit liability. However, Milfico has agreed to submit to the terms of an injunction, which requires it to no longer include the weight of ice in its weight statements. The case was investigated and developed by the Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County Weights and Measures Departments, which found improperly labeled Milfico products in local inspections.
Martha J. Donohoe, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit, Santa Clara County
(408) 792-2570 Don Gartner, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit, Santa Cruz County
(831) 454-2564 For Immediate Release on April 12, 2002 Milfico Foods, a Chicago distributor of frozen fish, poultry and meat, has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought jointly by the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Offices. The civil lawsuit and settlement documents were filed in the Santa Cruz County Superior Court on April 12, 2002. The complaint alleges that Milfico included the weight of ice glaze in the labeled weight of the frozen seafood it sold. California law requires a food wholesaler or retailer to provide a weight statement, which lists only useable product. Items such as packing material, packaging, the wax surrounding cheese or ice encasing frozen food cannot be included in labeled weight. In a stipulated judgment, Milfico did not admit liability. However, Milfico has agreed to submit to the terms of an injunction, which requires it to no longer include the weight of ice in its weight statements. The case was investigated and developed by the Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County Weights and Measures Departments, which found improperly labeled Milfico products in local inspections.
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