In the department, and for several years, there have been numerous hygiene checks in establishments. Wanted by the prefect, this intense fight delighted consumers and residents, who welcomed the action as much as the municipalities.
In the streets of Val-d'Oise, it is common to find the curtains of certain restaurants lowered.
In the department, many establishments have to close their doors for a few weeks or even longer, after the visit of an agent of the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (Ddpp).
Consumers reassured
It's the prefect, Philippe Courtwhich emphasized these controls. In France, Val-d'Oise is the most active department in terms of administrative closures.
Since the start of 2024, and as it announced at the end of the last financial year, the prefecture has intensified controls: in all, 1,600 have already been carried out. At the end of 2023, more than 80 establishments were affected by administrative closure.
This struggle is visible on social networks, shared en masse by the latter's X account.
In addition to photos of poorly preserved food, dirt and sometimes even rodents present in certain kitchens, the department does not hesitate to use “name and shame”. In French, name the restaurant and its address. “The strength of the image is that it kills the match,” claimed Philippe Court, the prefect, in November 2023.
In the municipalities, consumers are reassured by the action taken. “That reassures us all a little, we don’t necessarily want to get sick,” smiles Tene, a resident of Garges-lès-Gonesse at the microphone of BFM Paris Ile-de-France.
It is in this town that the latest closures took place. On November 7, on its X account, the prefecture reported six checks. All ended in closure, including one in an emergency.
And that doesn't seem to surprise some residents. “Garges is full of rats. There are restaurants where rats are there, if you film you see them. With controls, there is nothing to worry about,” breathes Karim.
The satisfaction of restaurateurs still open
But what about the main stakeholders, the restaurateurs? In Sarcelles, the “Big Yass”, which serves kebabs and other sandwiches, the kitchens were checked six times. No closure for this establishment, but rather a poster with the “satisfactory” level of hygiene left by the controllers.
“It’s a guarantee of hygiene for us, that is to say that customers see that it is good and controlled,” says Mohamed Raib, owner of the premises at the microphone of BFM Paris Île-de-France.
If the restaurateur says he is delighted with these controls, he raises a question of public health for all customers.
“We pay attention to public health, to us, because we are the ones who eat, like our children and our family. So the customers are also like our family,” says the restaurateur.
As for other professionals, the controls do not bother. On the contrary. “Today, it is clear that in our profession we must be exemplary in terms of hygiene and food safety, so there is no debate. We completely accept these controls,” insists Franck Delvau, president of the UMIH Paris and Ile-de-France.
On the other hand, he regrets that the latter are only carried out in establishments, and not on certain street food sellers. “We find them almost everywhere, sellers of drinks and sandwiches which are made in completely unusual hygienic conditions,” explains the man.
Mayors grateful for the work carried out
In addition to restaurants, establishment closures in 2023 affected two nursing homes, eleven bakeries, three companies manufacturing or selling farm products and a slaughterhouse.
On the side of the municipalities, the action of the prefect is strongly welcomed. “He is a completely exceptional prefect, who is keen to reduce all deregulation, particularly on unsanitary restaurants or slumlords,” boasted Philippe Sueur, DVD mayor of Enghien-les-Bains at the time. , from BFMTV.com.
The politician, at the helm since 1989, has seen prefects come and go. But he does not hesitate to say: “To be honest, I have never seen one so active.”
Same reaction in Pontoise, a town a few kilometers from Enghien-les-Bains. “It’s quite simple: he is finally enforcing the law. Fortunately these checks are being carried out,” greeted Stéphanie Van Euw, mayor of Libres!.
With these actions, Philippe Court, the prefect of the department, gave ideas to his neighbors. In Seine-Saint-Denis, the prefecture no longer hesitates to share photos and names of controlled restaurants.
Bettina de Guglielmo, Julie Benmoussa and Martin Regley
