The sanitation branch of the Hawaii State Department of Health has fined Koha Oriental Foods $100,000 for its operation of a food storage warehouse without a state food establishment permit between November 2015 and August 2016.
The sanitation branch of the Hawaii State Department of Health has fined Koha Oriental Foods $100,000 for its operation of a food storage warehouse without a state food establishment permit between November 2015 and August 2016.
Koha’s warehouse, located at 94-150 Leokane Street in Waipahu, Oahu, is used to store frozen seafood and other products prior to their distribution and sale.
DOH discovered the infraction in August of last year during the course of its investigation of a Hepatitis A outbreak on Oahu. Once Koha was notified of its violation, the company applied for and obtained the proper permit, according to a DOH release.
“In this case, when determining the monetary penalty amount, we considered the lower risk factors involved in operating a static frozen food storage facility where food is not prepared and directly handled by the employees,” Peter Oshiro, chief of the DOH Sanitation Branch, in the release. “Operating without a permit is a serious matter, and under state rules the company could have been fined nearly $300,000 for conducting business operations at the facility without a permit for almost a year.”
Food companies that operate without proper permits can be fined up to $1,000 for every day they fail to comply with DOH standards.