Pacific Produce Owner Aims for Health Code Compliance

Pacific Produce has been put on watch, this time presumably for the last time.

The City of Greenfield's Board of Health approved the issuance of a new retail food license to Sid Le, the supermarket's owner, at a meeting May 10, and review Pacific Produce's case — — with the understanding by both parties that the situation will be reviewed in September.

"My client is confident that he can meet the requests of Greenfield and will be successful at the September meeting," lawyer John J. Germanotta wrote in response to questions emailed by Greenfield Patch on May 10.

Germanotta's letter said Le had taken substantial steps toward improvement since January, when the Board of Health began the process of a complaint and summons and was near shutting Pacific Produce down for consistent food safety violations. Among those steps has been the involvement of David Flora, a well-known regional advisor who specializes in the support and improvement of grocery story operations; the addition of five certified food managers on staff; and thousands of dollars spent on new equipment needed for the requirements in connection with the type of food that is sold in the store.

"We feel that the Greenfield officials have been understanding but at the same time very vigilant in making sure that the store complies with the appropriate regulations," Germanotta wrote.

Pacific Produce replaced Kohl's Food Store in a building that was vacant and unused for a number of years. According to Germanotta, Le has invested millions of dollars to acquire the propery and redesign and reconstruct the space. Pacific Produce now holds probably 30,000 products in its 20,000-square-foot operation.

According to Germanotta, the real estate taxes on the property are now in excess of $97,000 per year, up from $49,000 prior to Le's acquisition, and the fair market value has been bumped from $2.3 million to $3.5 million.

"It has been successful, and in light of the type of product (a large percentage of the food is fresh) the size of the operation, the newness of the operation to the area and other problems including vandalism which caused the refrigeration system to be inactive over a weekend causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of food to be lost, this business has been beneficial to Greenfield," Germanotta wrote.

"Mr. Le fully intends to continue to improve the operation, protect his investment, and be a good citizen of Greenfield."