By Neil Zolot
The Board of Health is continuing to monitor Sakura Organic sushi restaurant for health and food storage violations. “They have a responsibility to make sure everything is perfect,” regional Health Inspector Dan Thompson said in a virtual meeting of the Board of Health last night. “We’re here to help, but need to take things seriously. We want to make sure everything is healthy.” (In addition to Wakefield and Melrose, he covers Malden, Medford, Stoneham and Winchester.)
An inspection July 27 revealed several violations, including improper storage of raw meat over cooked food, a situation in which material from the uncooked food can drip into the cooked food. It was the latest in a series of violations. “They do have a history of bad reports,” Thompson related. “I don’t want to attack them for having a bad record, but it’s important this doesn’t happen again. I want to make sure they understand this can’t happen again.”
He also said the restaurant lacks postings for workers to as to how to comply with regulations.
Thompson also reported “everything has been addressed,” but added, “Typically what I do is go back unannounced in a few weeks. I know it won’t be perfect, but I want to make sure things like cross contamination aren’t happening.”
“I fixed everything,” Sakura owner Mark Zhong answered. “From now on, everything is by the book.”
Thompson lauded Zhong for his reaction to the issue. “He listened and didn’t give me a hard time whatsoever,” he said. “He understands he has a big role to fill in keeping his restaurant clean.”
Nevertheless, members would like Sakura to hire a consultant. “In the past we’ve made restaurants hire a consultant to follow the directions,” member Laurel Skinder Gourville said. “It’s not a Health Inspector’s job.”
“We want to help you stay in compliance,” Board head Candace Linehan added. In other matters the Board of Health is planning on drafting a statement in support of reproductive rights in the wake of a Supreme Court decision overturning precedents for access to abortion. “It’s important for us to take a stand for what is a basic health right,” joint Wakefield/Melrose Health Director Anthony Chui feels.
He’s looking at a recent statement by the Winchester Board of a Health as a model for a statement from Wakefield that may be issued in tandem with Melrose calling for multi-lingual access to access to information on reproductive rights.
On May 23 the Winchester Board of Health said it “is committed to protecting access to reproductive health services, including safe abortion, as a basic public health right. The Board recommends that reproductive health information, including legal rights to an abortion in Massachusetts; medical information; funding options and contact information for locations of service be made readily available in print and digital form, in languages commonly spoken, including English, Mandarin and Spanish and this information be posted on the Health Department and Board of Health webpages, and made available to any organizations or individuals who request it.”
