Mahoning restaurants among 21 receiving food from truck stopped by cops

YOUNGSTOWN

Health department sanitarians were busy Thursday visiting Mahoning County restaurants that reportedly received perishable food from the inadequately refrigerated truck police stopped in Pennsylvania, and asked restaurateurs to discard the food.

“When we meet with the food vendors, they are agreeable, and they understand they have to throw it out — and they do,” said Patricia Sweeney, Mahoning County health commissioner.

Sixteen of the restaurants are within the county health department’s jurisdiction and one is in Youngstown, which is in the jurisdiction of the Youngstown City Health Department.

The Mahoning County restaurants were on a list of 21 Asian restaurants in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties that reportedly received food Wednesday from that truck, which was stopped Wednesday evening in Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, Pa.

The list was supplied by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

The truck, last inspected Aug. 13 by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, originated from the New Yung Wah Co. in McKees Rocks, Pa.

At the Main Moon restaurant on Belmont Avenue, Youngstown, the restaurateur discarded 200 pounds of meat into the trash bin Thursday morning, as ordered by a city health department sanitarian, and poured bleach over it, all in the sanitarian’s presence, said Erin Bishop, city health commissioner.

Other restaurant owners who could be reached Thursday said there was no chance of spoiled food reaching customers because they always inspect their products for freshness.

“We never had a problem before,” said Jay Dong, manager of Royal Grill Buffet, 267 Boardman Canfield-Road in the Boardman Plaza.

A man named Gene, who did not give his last name, spoke on behalf of his mother, Sue Zhang, owner of Girard Wok, 44 W. Liberty St. He said the products they received Wednesday were fresh.

He said New Yung Wah informed them the spoiled products on the truck were rejected by another restaurant and were being returned to the company.

Read the complete story in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.