A popular Auckland bakery has confessed it has had to temporarily close its doors because it received the lowest possible food safety grade.
Following an inspection, Auckland City Council has given Levain Artisinal in Blockhouse Bay an E, which one of its co-owners now claims is "operational and compliance-related".
On social media, Sean Vo said its initial claim that the closure was for "family reasons" was not the "whole truth".
"When I received that news, I panicked.
"Out of fear, shame, and a desire to protect my family and staff from immediate judgment, I chose to hide behind a vague excuse."
Auckland Council specialist operations manager Veronica Lee-Thompson told the New Zealand Herald a risk "associated with pest control processes" at Blockhouse Bay eatery Levain was identified during a site visit last week.
The grade was serious, and served as a "painful wake-up call", Vo said.
"We are not running away from this. We are using this closure to fix everything."
Over the past few days, Levain had a professional deep clean and addressed every point raised by the council inspectors, he said.
Its entire team had also been retrained to complete daily compliance logs and follow safety protocols, he added.
Levain was working with the council to expedite a re-inspection, Vo said.
-RNZ
ISSUE
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