Health Dept. pulls shutters on food shops

By Deon Green, Freelance Writer

ST. THOMAS:

TWO MAJOR food establishments have been shut down by the St. Thomas Public Health Department for failing to adhere to health regulations mandating certification and registration.

The crackdown follows warnings earlier this month when the Public Health Department began issuing letters to owners and operators of food establishments and even requested assistance from the police to force them to close if they failed to respond to the health department's demand for compliance.

In a follow-up to the letters, the Chief Public Health Inspector, Charles Lewis, while not disclosing the identities or locations, said the two food establishments had been closed based on their non-response to the notices.

He said, however, that generally there had been a moderate response to the letters from food establishments across the parish.

One of the establishments closed had problems primarily associated with sanitation. Mr. Lewis was unable to give the specific number of operators that had responded to the health department's demand but stated more than 300 of more than 1,400 establishments had responded positively.

The department has co-opted the police's assistance to handle any establishment that is resistant to being closed where such a decision has been made.

"We are hoping it will never come to that, so within a few weeks I expect more operators to come forward," Mr. Lewis said.

The public health chief also told The Gleaner that more warning letters would be issued and some places may have to be forced closed as some operators were reluctant to register because of the prevailing conditions at their establishments.

Among the sanitary problems identified by public health inspectors are rat infestations, absence of running water, no proper waste disposal system and no toilet facilities.

"Where there are problems relating to sanitation, we are prepared to work with the owners and/or operators but they must come forward as we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the public's health," Mr. Lewis said.

Patrons should be able to identify which food establishments are certified as safe, as they are mandated to display the certificate from the Health Department confirming their registration.

Fees for such registration varies from $1,500 to $10,000 per year based on the category of establishment, which ranges from cook shops to restaurants.

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