Restaurants Cry Foul Over BOH Proposal On Food Labeling

     A cost burden, a logistical mess, and an unnecessary hoop to jump through is what a group of Mashpee restaurateurs and food vendors called a new regulation proposed by the Mashpee Board of Health that would require all carry-out and take-away food to be labeled with safety information.
     The group of about a dozen owners and managers of different restaurants and grocery stores in town turned out to a health board public hearing Wednesday night on the proposed requirement to label all prepared foods with the date it was made, the time it was sold, and a recommendation to either eat within two hours or refrigerate within four hours.
     Health Board Chairman Lucy B. Burton said the regulation is meant to “educate the consumers” about important food safety precautions. The rule, which has been in the works for nearly a year, is meant to be proactive and is not in response to any problems the town has had with foodborne illness, she said.
     No other towns on Cape Cod have a similar regulation, according to Health Agent Glen Harrington, who claimed responsibility for the idea.
     Violations would carry a $50 fine for each offense, according to a draft of the policy.
     In response to the criticisms from the restaurateurs, Ms. Burton said she would consider tabling the measure or perhaps requiring the information to be posted on a sign instead of on each item that leaves the establishment.
     Kalliope E. Egloff, a board member, said she was opposed to the measure because of the burden it would cause the businesses, though, in general, she said she supports proactive regulations that deal with issues before they become a major problem.
     Burton Kaplan, the third member of the board, said he doubted some of the complaints about costs voiced by the restaurateurs, but he acknowledged it would create a significant logistical problem.
     Philip Panasci, the owner of Pizza Prima, said the regulation would be the equivalent of doubling rent or utilities. “You guys don’t have to make a payroll each week,” he said.
     Given the rising cost of food and the rough economy, the regulation could well put some establishments out of business, he said.
     A representative of Super Stop & Shop said the regulation would pose an enormous problem for its salad bar and the 700 to 800 sandwiches the grocery store sells each week.
     Graham C. Silliman, owner of Siena restaurant, compared the label to the warnings on many consumer products.
     “Do you read the label on the ladder you buy from Home Depot?” he said. “This would be just another thing with fine print on it that no one reads,” he said.
     “You are creating a sanction for a problem that doesn’t exist,” he said.
     Some of the restaurant owners also criticized the board for either not receiving any notice about the hearing or the regulation, or finding out about it only the day before the hearing.
     Smoking Room To Reopen
     In other business, the board settled a long-standing issue with the Tinder Box tobacco store in Mashpee Commons. Store owners Natalie and John Beigel will be required to complete a massive overhaul of the ventilation system in the shop’s smoking lounge, meant to avoid secondhand smoke seeping into nearby shops.
     In addition to the highly engineered, negative pressure ventilation system, the Tinder Box owners will also be required to monitor air quality monthly and replace the carpet with hardwood floor.
     The owners of the Puritan Clothing Company location in Mashpee Commons, the store that set off the issue almost two months ago with a nuisance complaint to the board of health, will also be pressed to clean out smoke residue in its store and work with the Beigels to coordinate the maintenance of their heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems.