Shannon Lough
March 6, 2014

A video on how naan is made at an Indian restaurant in Brampton.

BRAMPTON – Food inspectors have switched into enforcement mode after an education policy wasn’t working in one the most ethnically diverse regions in Canada.

Second to Toronto, Peel is the destination of choice for new immigrants. Of the 1.3 million people that live there, half are immigrants. Authentic meals from all over the world are found in this area but when it comes to standards everyone has to play by the same rules.

Diversity is a core value when providing services and programs to the

community. Manager of Peel public health, Danny Martin said there are many cultural practices within the population and regional employees have to find a balance between educating and enforcing the provincial regulations.

Multiculturalism in Peel makes the job different than in Thunder Bay but “everyone is treated equally,” said Martin, “it’s the same regulations, it doesn’t matter, we don’t prejudge.”

Martin has been working in the industry for 28 years and said he’s seen a lot.

“In 2013, our charges as far as enforcement went up 100% in the region of Peel from 2012,” Martin said. “We were in enforcement mode because education just wasn’t working.”

The inspection is on a point system requiring operators to stay under 15 points. They must comply with Ontario food regulations, which Martin says “are a minimum to begin with.”

A food facility will be closed if there is a health hazard. A sewage back up, or a cockroach infestation would close a restaurant. Martin said people usually close up on their own and the inspectors monitor the situation. If they pass re-inspection, they can re-open.

For businesses who don’t meet the minimum requirements, they are given a conditional pass and have 72 hours to improve the situation before re-inspection. If they pass, they can remove the yellow sign and remain open.

With over 90 languages spoken in Peel, cuisines from all over the world are found here, but most infractions are found in South Asian take-out and restaurants.

Last month, Airport Sweets and Tandoori Restaurant was given a conditional pass for sanitation issues. It is a “big hit in Brampton” said manager, Sukhpreet Singh. It’s a take-out restaurant that cooks most of the food in an Indian tandoor oven.

“It’s like a fire pit, as opposed to being fried,” Singh said. “The food inspectors are very open to this kind of stuff.”

The restaurant is a buffet style with colourful desserts on the left, and trays of butter chicken and paneer tikka masala on the right. Singh said Indian restaurants have trouble with cleanliness because of the stains and smell from the spices that go in the curry.

Another facility that has had trouble meeting standards is the “East meets West” supermarket called Oceans. The business was given 28 conditional passes over the past 14 months mainly for its take-out section.

Oceans assistant store manager in Brampton, Roy Tango, said the inspectors are very friendly and the standards are fair.

“They know more than us, they tell us what needs to be fixed and we arrange to have things fixed that have a problem,” Tango said.

This is the education role that food inspectors play. When working with people like Tango who is willing to “try to be perfect” then the education role pays off.

Operators new to Ontario’s food safety standards or who purchase a facility in a run-down building face more challenges to meet regulations, but Martin said Peel food inspectors do their best to educate them first.

They are given a chance to meet the basic criteria but when behaviours don’t change “you’ve got to do something about it and play poker a little differently,” Martin said.

“They chose to be in the business, it comes with rules, follow them.”

 

Heat map of areas in the Peel Region with the most infractions against food safety. The hottest areas tend to be in old buildings with run down equipment. This leads in failure to pass maintenance and equipment regulations, said Danny Martin, Manager of Peel public health. Data provided by: Kevin Farrugia, GIS Technician, Regional Municipality of Peel