Saturday, February 18, 2012

Avella wants city to inspect grocery stores


From Douglaston Patch:

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, is pushing for the city to be able to inspect supermarkets and farmers’ markets on the grounds that the state does not make evening inspections.

Last month, the senator and state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, introduced bills that would grant joint jurisdiction to the city’s Department of Health and the state’s Department of Agriculture over grocery stores and farmers’ markets in the five boroughs.

Avella said he believed the city should be able to grade supermarkets as it does restaurants due to the state’s policy of not sending inspectors out after 5 p.m.

He used the recent example of a Bellerose halal market that has racked up more than $25,000 in violations for unsanitary conditions.

“The fact is that the city has no jurisdiction over supermarkets, which is very strange when you think about it,” he said. “The state has no after-hours inspectors.”

He said his bill would also prevent some restaurants from evading a rating.

“I understand that some city restaurants are trying to reclassify themselves as supermarkets to get out of being graded by the city,” he said. “My legislation doesn’t call for grading supermarkets, but it prevents restaurants from getting out of the grading system and being inspected.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

another democrat photo op? there must be an election soon?

Anonymous said...

Super Halal Meat at 253-06 Hillside Avenue in Queens. Now I know why this grocery store continues to operate. The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets doesn’t give you a complaint reference number when you make a complaint and they don't have the manpower to investigate complaints, especially in the evening.
This store is opened 24 hours a day and gets deliveries everyday in the evening. I have made many complaints about unsanitary food deliveries at night. Maybe I should have been told that these complaints would never be investigated. I don't shop at this store but they shouldn't be allowed to deliver meat products from the trunk of cars and trucks. Almost every night after making meat deliveries the same truck making the delivery is loaded with the excess garbage from the rear of the store.
But these complaints will never be investigated because the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets doesn’t work after 5:00PM.

Thank you Senator Avella, I wish I knew a year ago that all my letters and phone calls to this state agency was a waste of my time.

Anonymous said...

I have never voted for a Democrat and I didn't vote for Senator Avella in his last election. I don't care if this is a photo op he's doing a good job.
Where are our other politicians on the issues. At least he's out there making some noise.
Thank you again Senator Avella and if I have the opportunity to vote for you next time around, you have my support and vote.

Anonymous said...

Then will Chinese-American CM Peter Koo really want NYC to inspect the unsanitary and often filthy conditions found in his countrymen's Chinese food stores and supermarkets?

I doubt it.

Peter don't give a flying f--k about much that goes on in his turf except that developers have free run of the place.

He shops in Great Neck where he resides!

His main interest in the Main Street Floo-shing vicinity is to check on the profits of his extremely profitable "Starside" drug store chain.

His chief of staff, James Mc Clelland, runs the show and sweats the small stuff and chicken shit at Koo's district office.

Oh, you say that's illegal for Koo to live out of the district he represents...and out of NYC entirely?

The Chinese do what they please
and are often given carte blanche
by many city officials.

Laws weren't made for them to follow.

And we don't want to offend any Asians...particularly when they contribute scads of money to local politician's campaigns.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Senator Avella, I wish I knew a year ago that all my letters and phone calls to this state agency was a waste of my time.

--

That is why you have to go after the electeds - the whole city agency thing is you doing their work while they get to pose in photo ops.

The only person that will listen to you is the person that needs you to get in office -- and if they don't let your neighbors, the papers, and of course, Crappy know.

Anonymous said...

It's a double edged sword. While this will allow the city to go after blatant scofflaws, it will also allow the city to further line its coffers at the expense of businesses that are not a problem. This will soon be used as another revenue tool for petty and inane violations.

Anonymous said...

can Q.C. get the reporter and the democrats to investigate the gas station on F.L.B. ? there is a lot of CRAP taking place.

the price for a gallon of gas is $4.08 ??????

three years ago the price was $1.90 /Gallon. who is to blame ?

we want to bash the one responsible.

Anonymous said...

And 4 years ago it was $4 and change.
I think it's your local gas station ripping you off. Try refining your own gasoline to save a few bucks.
Or just pay attention to the world around you, beyond FLB.

Anonymous said...

I had never thought about this before, but wow, that's a great idea to hold grocery stores to the same standards as restaurants.

There are SO many dirty grocery stores in the NYC area - such a contrast when you go out into the suburbs of the US and find these big, spotless supermarkets.

Anonymous said...

my family does not need an A/B/C sign rating in a market window or restaurant, from the city or state government, to realize that it is substandard.

we just stop buying and eating there and find one that is acceptable.all citizens are not stupid.

we have enough of a NANNY CITY/ STATE GOVERNMENT, as it is with DOOMSBERG.

Anonymous said...

Notice how many Fuashing shops have B health grades?

Anonymous said...

i think that it is time to grade the city agencies and the individual public workers and politicians in Queens with the A/B/C/personal lapel tag.

we could begin with the Dept. of Buildings inspectors,and during snowfalls,the D.O.S. plow operators.

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