The Department of Health closed down one of the biggest supermarkets in the territory: TSM Mart in Tafuna.
A Closed sign is posted at the store entrance which says the building was inspected by the American Samoa Environmental Health Services division in accordance with the American Samoa Environmental Code annotated in the DOH health Act and found it non compliant with sanitation Practices/Requirements upon inspection with significant violations.
Deputy Director of Health Papalii Marion Fitisemanu says a surprise inspection by DOH yesterday found unsanitary conditions in the area where food is prepped and the bakery area, the storage was also unclean and there was a cockroach infestation in several parts of the TSM building.
He said the inspectors took photos of what they found, and there’s strong evidence of non compliance with sanitation standards. 
Papalii said they closed down the store so that the owners can work on rectifying the unsanitary conditions.
He said, generally, DOH will carry out one or two inspections a year and if they find conditions that warrant the owner’s attention, they will order a closure right away so that the problems can be addressed rather than letting the business continue operating and exacerbating the unclean conditions.
Papalii noted that TSM Store is a popular supermarket where people from the whole island shop.
He pointed out that stores that supply the WIC Program have to ensure that the food our children eat is safe.
“The DOH inspections are sometimes the last line of defense in stopping the sale of unsafe food items to the public,” said Papalii.
The DOH commented that they have given the owners of TSM a list of deficiencies which need to be corrected and once those are addressed to the satisfaction of DOH, the store can be reopened.
