Hahn Seeks the Names of Meat Packers Cited for Violations

Supervisor Kenneth Hahn plans to ask Los Angeles County health officials to list meat-processing plants cited for “severe violations” of the health code, including vermin infestations, his office said Thursday.

Hahn’s press spokesman, Dan Wolf, said the supervisor will introduce a motion at Tuesday’s board meeting asking what has been done to correct violations reported by the Department of Health Services earlier this week.

Robert C. Gates, director of health services, reported at Hahn’s request that 794 inspections of meat-processing plants in Los Angeles County over the last year resulted in 24 administrative hearings.

“The violations included failure to maintain equipment free from possible contaminants and in a state of good repair, structural violations, poor food handling techniques, failure to maintain toilet facilities,” Gates said.

All violations were corrected “in a timely manner,” he said, except for four cases. He said criminal complaints were filed against four establishments. Since then, Gates said, three cases have been settled, and one is pending.

Jack Williams, chief of the food and milk section of the Department of Health Services’ environmental management division, said Thursday that based upon his observations the general level of sanitation in meat-processing plants “has probably deteriorated in the last couple of years.”

However, he said, his office does not have statistics to compare inspection results during the last 12 months with the previous year.