Author Archives: Katie Filion

If you don’t use potable water to produce food and people get sick expect a lawsuit

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In 2007 owners of a St. Catharines, Ontario restaurant made the poor decision to continue preparing and serving food after water to the establishment had been cut off. The result: at least six people became violently ill, of which three children were hospitalized.

The owners of Yamen restaurant are appealing the court’s verdict regarding two lawsuits totaling 4.3 million in damages, reports The Standard.

Senan Daoud and Mahmoud Asaad are being sued by two families who say they were “violently ill” and continue to suffer after being fed contaminated food.

The Yaman Restaurant co-owners were in court Monday to argue they should be allowed to appeal a March 27 ruling that found them guilty of five counts each of selling food unfit for human consumption.

The cases happened at the Merritt Street restaurant in May 2007, when Asaad and Daoud continued to run the business, despite the fact its water was cut off because of a water-main break. The restaurant was shut down by the Region after several people got sick in May 2007 and reopened in August 2007 with a clean bill of health.

Meanwhile, the families of three girls in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls who were hospitalized following the outbreak have launched lawsuits… Robert and Arlene Willis, with daughter Sara Willis, are suing after eating at the restaurant on May 25, 2007…Jennifer Boehm and 10- and six-year-old daughters Brooklyn and Kassidy Hamelin, ate at the restaurant the following day and are suing, along with the girls’ father, Robert Hamelin.

The court documents say the plaintiffs became “violently ill” within a week of eating at Yaman and were in need of “extensive” medical treatment for their injuries.
Some of those conditions included cramping, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, nausea and headaches.

… [A]ll three children were admitted to local hospitals, while Kassidy was so ill, she was transferred to McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton and was hospitalized for two weeks.
 

The search for an A in Auckland

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My flatmate Dan was away in Auckland (New Zealand) this weekend, and although the house was slightly quieter and cleaner with him gone, we’re glad to have him return. While updating us on his weekend up north Dan told of his search for an A-grade Indian restaurant.

His explanation went something like this,

“I didn’t want someone nasty handling my food – there were a lot of B places, but I wanted an A.”

He wandered the Auckland streets and after something like 5 restaurants found his A-grade premise.

Auckland assigns A (see right), B, D and E grades to restaurants, and awards excellent facilities a Gold A. Obviously Dan was unaware of the Gold A when searching for a place to eat. That’s one of the issues with restaurant grades – lack of consistency. While Auckland uses letter grades, Wellington awards Excellent cards. A consistent grading system may aid consumers like Dan in their quest for a safe place to grab a bite in a new city.

Restaurant grades in Auckland can also be found online, here.

Preparing for flu in the Soo

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OK, I blog a lot about Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Maybe it’s because I’m away from home, but usually it just cracks me up to read what the local Sooites are up to this week. Regardless, The Sault Star reports that the local university and college campuses are preparing for September and potential outbreaks of H1N1 virus.

Since swine flu emerged in April, Sault College’s health and safety committee started preparing a pandemic plan… Via e-mails and the school’s dozens of "infonet screens" throughout the building, students and staff were also bombarded with information about prevention and containment through, for example, handwashing, sneezing into the elbow and staying in your room or home if not feeling well. As well, hand sanitizer dispensers were placed in high-use areas, such as computer rooms, cafeteria and workout areas…

[Algoma University] also plans to put up information posters and bulletins reflecting the latest from the World Health Organization and distributing hand sanitizers to every employee…

The confined quarters of university and college dorms can lead to illness outbreaks, and handwashing signs and sanitizer are OK for trying to promote hand hygiene – if the medium grabs your attention and the message is compelling. Dirty Finger Al (pictured), my favourite Food Safety Infosheet, did just that, sparking dialogue among food handlers. Will the handwashing signs in Sault College and Algoma U spark dialogue, or go unnoticed by students come September?
 

Producing unsafe food will cost you in Australia

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During my year of study in New Zealand I plan on hopping across the ditch to Australia. Although my main goal is to bump into Mr. G (from Summer Heights High, see right), I will most inevitably have a meal out. Australian Food News reports that Australian courts have handed dirty restaurants hefty consequences for preparing food under unsafe conditions.

The courts have dished out heavy fines of over $37,000 to two North Shore restaurants and three Hills District eateries for breaches of food safety regulations, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald has advised.

Macdonald stated,

“I commend councils for being vigilant and proactive in ensuring that food sold in their areas is as safe as possible. It’s simply unacceptable for food retailers to ignore safety laws that protect consumers.”

North Sydney Council successfully prosecuted two restaurants for a total of 14 offences. Dai’s Golden Crown Restaurant in Military Road, Cremorne received a $15,333 fine for five offences ranging from chronic build up of waste and dirt to vermin in equipment and shelving. While Neutral Bay Seafood in Wycombe Road, will be forced to pay a $3,287 fine for nine hygiene-related offences.

Hills Shire Council successfully prosecuted the following three eateries for a total of 31 hygiene-related offences. Simply Irresistible Bakery, Windsor Road, Rouse Hill received a $5492 fine for four offences including storing food on the floor of a coolroom. Mountain View Chinese Restaurant, Old Northern Road, Dural was fined $7095 for 15 offences including presence of pests and dirty fittings and equipment.
Beijing Duck Restaurant, North Rocks Road, North Rocks copped a $5976 fine for 12 offences including storing meat in a sink and unsanitary cooking equipment and utensils.

Macdonald continued,

“Prosecutions are a last resort, but in some cases when critical failures have occurred or when proprietors have ignored prior warnings, that’s when they’ll end up in court.”

Scotland: Restaurant closed for using food “clearly gnawed by rodents”

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A couple of my friends are departing for Edinburgh, Scotland later this month to teach and travel. Aside from the usual packing advice – my luggage was 17 pounds overweight when I departed for New Zealand – I’ve forwarded along this story to the Canadian travelers.

Deadline Scotland Online is reporting that an Edinburgh restaurant, The Star Sea (see right) was issued an Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice for posing an imminent risk to public health, but re-opened 13 days later.

Inspectors visiting the Star Sea Restaurant in Edinburgh’s busy Lady Lawson Street described the infestation of rodents as “completely out of control”. City of Edinburgh Council was so concerned about the potential threat to public health that they issued an Emergency Prohibition Notice to stop it trading.

A council statement issued yesterday said:

“This inspection uncovered evidence of a mouse infestation which was completely out of control and food being used to prepare meals which had been clearly gnawed by the rodents…The hand washing facilities were inadequate, sinks were leaking and backing up with foul smelling water and several areas of wall were coated in mould.”

“A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice has the effect of immediately closing a food business and is only served when there is an imminent risk to the health of people consuming food which has handled, prepared, processed or stored on the premises…The premises were subsequently allowed to reopen on 19 June, when it was determined that the risk to health no longer existed as conditions had improved, [and] the premises continue to be subject to regular visits to ensure continued improvement to full compliance with food safety regulations.”

Tony Dong, owner of The Sea Star, said he accepted why the council had to act with a closure, and then proceeded to blame a lack of fans for the mould, and poor staff cleaning for the build up of mice dropping on the floor.

“Things are much better now. We spoke to all the staff about cleaning and it is done every day now, which also makes it much easier. It wasn’t done properly before, but we spoke to all the staff and it’s so much better now.”

“We had a mice problem too, but the man from the pest control came and that has been sorted, and we are speaking to the council.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader, said it was important that restaurant bosses knew the council would act when necessary,

“Thanks to the hard work shown by our Community Safety staff in bringing about this emergency notice, we can send out a clear message to all food business operators that they must adhere to food hygiene requirements or face the consequences.”

It all sounds like a slap on the wrist for an establishment knowingly producing food under unsanitary conditions. Where’s the public shaming of this restaurant? Slap a big “Fail” The Star Sea’s door, and hit Mr. Dong with a nasty fine.

NYC: Health department slacking on restaurant inspections

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Next July all restaurants in New York will be required to publically display a sanitary grade in their windows, but unless the health department steps up inspections many establishments won’t have much to disclose, reports New York Times Online.

New York City’s health department failed to inspect one in every five [22 per cent] restaurants during the 2008 fiscal year, according to an audit issued by the city comptroller’s office on Monday.

City comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., said,

“The Health Department is charged with protecting the health and well-being of New Yorkers, but, unfortunately, its internal controls for ensuring that health code violations at restaurants are corrected in a timely manner were found to be flawed.”


“It is important to ensure that compliance inspections are performed timely. Otherwise the danger that foodborne illness could occur as a result of unsanitary conditions being allowed to continue is increased.”

Marion Nestle, a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, said inspections are critical, but not all of the inspection criteria is equally significant,

“Cooking food to proper temperature and storing food to proper temperature are important food-safety matters,” she said. “Other things seem less important, like whether you stack forks with the fork part up or down.”

Nestle supports public posting of hygiene grades, saying,

“Places like Los Angeles that give grades have a lot more clout. You go to a B place, you better eat your food hot.”

Inspections in NYC are unannounced, completed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Food-service establishments, including restaurants, mobile units and cafeterias at schools and senior centers are inspected.

Not-so-Happy Meals in Illinois

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While Brad and Angelina were treating their kiddies to some McDonald’s Happy Meals this weekend (see right), the Rock Island County Health department revealed repeat violations for the Milan, Illinois McDonald’s linked to a Hepatitis A outbreak, reports WQAD Online.

Rock Island County Health inspectors typically go to restaurants like a McDonalds once or twice a year. That’s all that is required by law. But the Milan McDonald’s because of violations last year was told in February they would be visited as many as four times this year.

The Milan McDonald’s was shut down last Wednesday after the Rock Island County Health department realized an employee was working while sick with Hepatitis A and exposing customers to the disease. (Possibly 10,000 people were exposed.) When a violation occurs it’s the inspectors job to find out why.

Paul Guse the Direcor of Environmental Health said there had been violations in the past, and a letter sent to the establishment in February, saying,

"We have identified your establishment as being below desired compliance levels and posing an increased risk for a foodborne illness outbreak."

Did the health department see this outbreak coming?

Guse says, "No."

Mcdonald’s owner Kevin Murphy says he did not know of the outbreak until Monday the 13th and was not told the names of the infected employees until Wednesday, July 15th after his restaurant was closed.

Restaurant inspections aren’t predictive of foodborne illness outbreaks, but they can provide information on an establishment and management’s culture of food safety.

Frogs in frozen food and on Lady Gaga

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Lady Gaga’s outfits are getting wonkier and wonkier. This week’s creation involved a disturbing violation of Kermit the Frog (pictured, right). Equally as wonky, a Texas woman found a dead frog (or most of it, pictured below) in a bag of frozen vegetables, reports KLTV 7.

Chasity Erbaugh was heating up a Great Value brand of steamable green beans – making lunch for her kids when she discovered a nasty surprise.

Erabaugh explained,

"Thank goodness I had put butter in the bottom of the bowl. I went to stir it and there’s this brown clump."

After a close examination, Erbaugh was sick to her stomach at what she discovered. The "brown clump" was part of a frog… She found the whole front end of a frog, with the spinal cord and everything attached, in her green beans. The frog’s tongue was even hanging out.

Shocked, she said,
 
"That’s a frog! Or worse than that, it’s part of a frog – 75% of it. They didn’t even give me the frog legs with it."

Chasity bought the beans from the Walmart on Troup Highway. We gave the lot numbers to the health department, and Monday afternoon, they had the store pull the rest of the bags from that lot.

Brenda Elrod with the Northeast Texas Public Health District, said,

"What we try to do is coordinate with the manufacturer inspectors to make sure we can track it from our store back to the factory where it was made and back to the lot.”

Since being made aware of the incident, a Food and Drug officer is now sending the complaint up to the FDA.

"When you’re washing field vegetables, you’re going to get certain little pieces and parts, but we certainly don’t want something so large you can identify what it is."

As for Erbaugh, she says from now on, it’s fresh veggies only.

 

OHIO: Boris thinks the health inspector sabotaged his restaurant

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It’s the blame game again. Boris and Tatiana Vilenchuk, owners of Hawa Russia restaurant in Columbus, Ohio are upset at the health department’s decision to revoke their license, reports The Columbus Dispatch.

The Columbus Board of Health took away their licenses yesterday, citing persistent, unresolved food-safety problems. At the Russian restaurant on the North Side, problems reported by inspectors included foods held at improper temperatures, the absence of a hand-washing sink and employees inadequately trained in food safety.

[O]wners of Hawa Russia, argued that inspectors have been unfair and unreasonable and accused a food inspector of planting an insect in the restaurant to prompt a violation.

Health officials said they have gone above and beyond to work with the Hawa Russia owners and staff. Only after several failed attempts to bring the restaurant into compliance did officials recommend revoking the license.

The Vilenchuks have closed the restaurant and said they don’t plan to appeal the order.

Oh, Boris. Already Columbus Public Health Online reports the establishment as closed (see below).

Inspection results in Columbus are available online and at the premise in the form of colored cards, and the Healthier, Safer People Honor Award, described below:

Doo doo in the Soo

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Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is a very unique place. Lovingly called the Soo, home of the Bon Soo winter carnival and Greyhounds Ontario Hockey League team, many, including myself, call it home.

Today, while creeping on a fellow Saultite’s Facebook photos, I came across this picture (right). My workmate asked if cartwheeling was Canadian slang for something – I’m pretty sure it refers to the gymnastics move.

If you cartwheel in doo doo, wash your hands.