St. Paul grocery store fined for rats

A St. Paul grocery store must pay a $450 fine for failing to deal with a rat infestation and having no approved plan for its vacuum-packing process, the St. Paul City Council decided last week. The action came after Corner Meats & Grocery at 516 Rice St. was cited in four successive inspections for having rat droppings in several areas of the store, including a dry-storage room, according to an inspection department report. The report stated that improperly vacuum-packed food can allow for the growth of botulism organisms. A Corner Meats employee, Ibraheem Sulaiman, told Whistleblower on Monday that "everything has been done, fixed. Last week an inspector came and we passed [the inspection]."