DOH Reinstates Permit for First Commercial Kitchen

By Wendy Osher

Image courtesy U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Hawai’i Department of Health has reinstated a permit for First Commercial Kitchen LLC on O’ahu to operate.  Hawai’i Health officials say all products manufactured at the company after May 10, 2011, are considered safe and fit to consume.

First Commercial Kitchen LLC had its permit suspended on January 24, 2011 when health officials said product samples showed evidence of being improperly manufactured.  Inadequate control measures during the manufacture and packaging of food, health officials said, could lead to the potential for bacteria growth and lead to food poisoning.

Authorities at the DOH said the company at the time was unable to provide records showing that safe food processing was performed, and issued a cease and desist order, recalling numerous products from the company.

Health officials conducted an inspection on May 10, and have since verified full compliance with previous orders.

As a result of the permit reinstatement, the DOH issued an update on the revised list of recalled products manufactured by First Commercial Kitchen LLC.  The new list of recalled products was narrowed to just five and includes the following:

• Barb’s Favorite Recipes Brand
• Barb’s Local Style Black Bean Sauce
• Barb’s Kal-Bi Sauce
• Mom’s Recipe Sauce
• Pacific Poultry Huli-Huli Sauce (manufactured prior to May 10, 2011)

The recently manufactured, safe, non-recalled products can be easily identified by making sure that the pull date is “BEST BY APRIL 2012” or later.