Soup Kitchen Cited For "Illegal" Sunday Meals

After testifying yesterday at a State Health Department hearing about Food Not Bombs, St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen director Ron Krom was afraid of the repercussions. As a witness for Food Not Bombs he explained that the soup kitchen on Main Street regularly served a Sunday dinner with food prepared and donated by individuals in the community.

"I thought they might do something," Krom said Tuesday morning. "And here we are this morning being told we are going to be cited."

This morning, town sanitarian Fred Rehm appeared at the soup kitchen and informed Krom that the soup kitchen would be cited for serving food not prepared in a licensed kitchen.

Fred Rehm of Middletown's Health Department declined comment saying that the possible citation was part of an "ongoing investigation."

John Hall, pastor of First Church felt that the citation would have a chilling effect on charitable food distribution, and that it would send a ripple throughout the faith-based community.

"I think it's all based on a misinterpretation of state law," Hall said. He and a delegation from Middletown spoke about the problem with Secretary of State Richard Blumenthal.

"It's hard to believe the intent of the law was to allow an exemption from state statute for charitable organizations preparing food in unlicensed kitchens for sale in fundraisers, and not include organizations who give food to those in need," Hall said.

Hall indicated that the broader enforcement of the statute is likely the result of the Middletown Health Department's attempt to avoid being accused of selective enforcement.

"This is a state law they're enforcing" Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said. "Krom went on the record in a Health Department hearing, and now we can't ignore it. If they want to change the law because it's too broad and preventing some good from happening, then fine. This is really a scientific question, and if scientists decide that the risk is minimal then we'll follow those directives. But our Health Department is only following a state law to keep people safe, and even poor people deserve to be kept safe."

Christmas Meal At Risk

Hall worries that a strict interpretation of the current statutes will prevent his, and other churches, from serving meals to those in need, particularly regular holiday meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"There aren't enough licensed kitchens in town to cook all those turkeys," Hall said. "You won't have people donating food if they have to go to a licensed kitchen to prepare it."

Giuliano cited the real risk of salmonella in turkey preparation.

"Thanksgiving is two months away," he said. "And there's got to be a way we can figure out how to cook enough turkeys in licensed kitchens between now and then to allow those meals to happen."

This recent concern with charitable meals prepared in unlicensed kitchens stems from the ongoing controversy with Food Not Bombs.

"We have to share our food with the poor" Krom said. "Unfortunately, if I hadn't testified I don't think that I would have received a citation today. In the end, I hope this will all bring about some social change."

"Look, if your goal is to get food to hungry people, no in town is trying to stop them" Giuliano said. "But it's our job to ensure that people are safe. I don't know if Food Not Bombs has some civil disobedience thing they want to express, but if they're just trying to thumb their noses at authority, I can't help them."

"Until we get a clear interpretation, it appears the city health department is going to press the issue for all charitable giving," Hall lamented. "And that's going to cause a problem."

UPDATE 9/22 4:10 PM: (This from Ron Krom at the St. Vincent's Soup Kitchen) While I was told in the morning that I would be "cited", the Health Department returned this afternoon with an inspection report with an identified violation. The report is a standard State of CT Department of Public Health Inspection Report for Food Service Establishments. We were found to be in violation of item #1,"approved source of food, wholesome, nonadulterated." The detail specified that "some donated food served on site is not prepared in licensed kitchens." I was told that I have two weeks to correct the violation, at which point we will be reinspected. If the violation is not corrected, "a number of things are possible, including shutting down the Soup Kitchen."