The federal government is moving to shut down the operations of a commercial bean sprout grower on Maui.

The U.S. attorney filed for a permanent injunction Wednesday against William H. Oshiro, the sole proprietor of RZM Food Factory in Makawao.

RZM supplied ready-to-eat alfalfa, clover, mung and radish sprouts to Maui restaurants and grocery stores.

The government says RZM sprouts were prepared, packed and stored under unsanitary conditions and may have become contaminated with filth.

It said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration handed out notices of violation in 2001, 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2014 for unsanitary conditions observed during inspections of the Pau Hana Road business. In response, the government said, Oshiro has often, though not always, promised to correct the conditions.

In this year’s inspection, the government says, FDA investigators found cockroaches in the facility; lizard droppings in the growing room, including on sprout growing beds; and a slug on a growing bed of sprouts. They also found rain from a leaky roof spilling onto growing sprouts, and litter and waste in the facility.

In the 2013 inspection, the government said investigators found the facility’s irrigation tank rusted and uncovered, making it accessible to cockroaches and lizards, and standing water in discarded crate-shaped egg cartons throughout the growing area.

Oshiro could not be reached for comment. His home and business telephone numbers are no longer working.