Sushi company at Safeway Kapahulu fined

Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp., doing business as AFC Sushi at Safeway Kapahulu, was fined $6,000 Thursday by the state Department of Health for food-safety violations and removing a health inspection placard from public view.

The DOH cited the company for “intentionally camouflaging” the yellow or “conditional” pass placard that was supposed to be publicly displayed, for keeping food at inadequate hot and cold temperatures and failing to properly label discard times on perishable food items kept at room temperature.

Representatives at AFC Sushi couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Tampering with a health inspection placard is a serious violation with substantial consequences because this act compromises the public’s trust and their right to know when violations occur during an inspection,” Peter Oshiro, DOH environmental health program manager, said in a news release. “Fortunately, these types of incidents have been rare since the start of the placarding program and this is only the fourth incident with more than 14,500 inspections completed.”

On Jan. 19, the Health Department said it found the food-safety violations after a routine inspection of AFC Sushi. Then on Jan. 23, a health inspector noted that the company still had not fixed the violations and that the yellow or conditional pass sign issued by the DOH was “not clearly visible to the public” and “appeared to have been removed.”

Health officials in a follow-up inspection on Jan. 24 said the violations were corrected and gave the business a green or “pass” placard.

Green cards indicate that up to one critical violation needs to be corrected; yellow cards, at least two violations; and red cards are issued for establishments that need to be immediately closed because they pose an imminent health hazard to the community.

The company has 20 days to contest the DOH findings. To access health inspection reports online, go to hi.healthinspections.us/hawaii/.