CANADA: Restaurant accused of serving faked food

20.dec.07
Nanaimo Daily News
Valerie Wilson

Owners of the MGM Restaurant are accused of trying to pass off one type of food as another.
The restaurant, located at 240 Nicol St., has been charged with four counts of deception regarding food under Canada's Food and Drug Act.
Pamela Davies, an inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which enforces the act, said Tuesday the charges were laid on Nov. 19. The alleged offences took place on Oct. 27, 2006.
According to court information, the restaurant is alleged to have sold pork as both classic veal cutlet and as veal cordon bleu, and alleged to have sold kamaboko, a processed seafood product, as both Japanese scallop dinner and as prawns and scallops.
The charges were laid under Section 5.1 of the federal Food and Drug Act. The maximum sentence on summary conviction is a fine of up to $50,000 or a prison term of up to six months or both, Davies said.
On Oct. 26, 2006, one day before the alleged offences, the MGM Restaurant was given a high hazard rating during an on-site inspection by officials with the Vancouver Island Health Authority's environmental health department. The inspection was not routine, but took place as the result of a complaint.
According to the inspection report available on the health authority's website, www.viha.ca, two critical violations were found during the inspection.
The violations involved finding five sockeye salmon in a garbage bag in a freezer, fish heads stored in a separate bag and "many foods in freezer stored in old used bread bags." The bags had no labels or dates marked on them, and were seized at the time of the inspection.
A followup inspection about four months later, on Feb. 21, 2007, found no violations and the MGM was given a low hazard rating.
Just last week, on Dec. 11, a routine inspection by VIHA at the restaurant again found two critical violations, including the inadequate cooking and reheating of potentially hazardous food and improper cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and utensils. The restaurant was given a moderate hazard rating