Public Health shuts down two food booths for food safety infractions

Watch: Toronto Public Health announces that they have closed two more food booths at the CNE. Rob Malcolm reports. 

TORONTO – Two more food booths at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) have been shut down due to food safety infractions.

The CNE announced in a press release, that Bourbon Street Grill and Bao 360 Shanghai Express have been shut down due to unnamed food safety infractions by the public health agency.

Bourbon Street Grill has been inspected three times since the CNE opened. The latest test, conducted August 27 found several infractions with three of them being deemed ‘crucial.’

Some of the infractions include failing to provide hand washing supplies, failing to prevent gross unsanitary conditions, failing to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated and failing to maintain hazardous food at a temperature above 60 degrees Celsius or hotter.

The restaurant passed both of its previous inspections but received a conditional pass on August 16. Because of that conditional pass, the restaurant was subject to more frequent inspections than other restaurants.

Bao 360 Shanghai was also shut down due to several infractions found during its third test since the opening of the exhibition.

According to the Toronto.ca, the inspection found four infractions including failing to prevent gross unsanitary conditions, failing to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated and failing to maintain hazardous food at 60 degrees Celsius or hotter.

WATCH: CNE and Toronto Public Health address latest food vendor closures at CNE

The restaurant passed its two previous inspections.

“At these two vendors, the major issue was regarding the handling and processing of hazardous foods such as meat including chicken,” Jim Chan of Toronto Public Health said to reporters Wednesday. “Keeping meats at room temperature is a serious health hazard.”

The food operators were also in breach of the exhibition’s contract rules and will not reopen during the 2013 fair.

Toronto Public Health will dispose of all the food at the two booths.

The news comes the day after Epic Burger and Waffles reopened after over 100 people reported being sick after eating the Cronut burger. A Toronto Public Health investigation found that the maple bacon jam used on the burger was the source of the illness.

But Dave Bednar, General Manager of the CNE said the closures Wednesday have “absolutely nothing to do” with the Epic Burger closure.

“When I told you we had a rigorous food safety regiment, that’s exactly what I meant,” he said to reporters Wednesday. “We continue to work very cooperatively and very diligently with our food safety consultants.”

Bednar maintained that the safest place to eat in Toronto was at the exhibition.

And Chan noted that it’s uncommon for the exhibition to have an outbreak and two closures in succession.

“Since opening day, Toronto Public Health have conducted over 360 inspections at the CNE,” Chan said.  “Inspectors have issued 31 conditional passes. Including the two closures issued yesterday, we’ve had a total of about six charges laid that are not in compliance.”