Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Health Law Blogs -> Food Safety News

Health Law

: Food Safety News

Restaurant Fined After Chef Caught Kissing Toad

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Are Iowa chefs having trouble landing dates these days? If so, it may explain why one head chef was caught kissing toads by the Scott County Health Department. The restaurant has been fined $355 for the dangerous (and desperate) act, which was caught on video.  The owner of the Davenport, Iowa restaurant where the chef works has agreed to pay the fine, and promises to address the health risks associated with amphibian handling.

The restaurant's head chef was seen holding two toads that he found outside the building.  In the video he kisses them each a few times, then proceeds to lick their bodies and stuff them both into his mouth. After this he sets them back on the prep table and continues cooking. The chef's brother videotaped the entire episode and posted it on YouTube. Though the act was meant to be a joke, the health inspectors watching the video did not find it amusing. Toads can carry a number of different diseases, including Salmonella. Food inspector Lindsay Gorishek said that they found multiple different food safety violations in the video.  The Scott County Health Department fined the restaurant for compromising sanitation guidelines and failing to abide by good hygienic practices.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on August 17, 2010 (boomark / email).