GRANADA HILLS : Grocer Accused of Adding Sulfites

A Granada Hills man was charged Thursday with adding sulfites to meat sold in his Hollywood food market, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.

Estela Nuno Esquivia, 34, owner of Lucky’s 7 Market, was named in a two-count criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles Municipal Court, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the city attorney. Esquivia faces one count of adding sulfites to food and a count of offering adulterated food for sale.

In August, county health services inspectors found a five-pound container of Supreme Forex, a banned sulfite, during a routine inspection of the market at 5902 Santa Monica Blvd., Qualls said.

Used as a preservative and to color meat a bright red, the chemical is banned by state and federal regulatory agencies because it can cause severe allergic reaction and cause death among infants and the elderly, Qualls said.

Tests performed on ground beef for sale at the market and later at a laboratory determined that the meat contained sulfites, Qualls said.

If convicted of the charges, Esquivia faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail and $2,000 in fines, Qualls said. He is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 21.