Littleton Board of Health Moves Toward Three-Strike Rule for Food Violators

LITTLETON — February 12, 2025 — Littleton Board of Health moves toward three-strike food enforcement framework. Meeting Wednesday, the three-member board — Chair Matt Wason, Dan Kane, and Kevin Davis — reached working consensus that food establishments racking up three repeat violations at the same level should face board-level review, with Health Director Francis Daigle describing the next escalation as a mandatory food safety consultant contract running three to six months at the operator's expense. Daigle said he would verify at the next meeting whether the town has a formal fine schedule that can be applied to inspection violations, with Wason noting Board of Health regulations carry the same enforcement weight as town bylaws. The board also signaled it wants a seat at the table as Littleton surveys residents on short-term rental regulation, with Daigle describing a certificate-of-fitness inspection model used in a prior role; and heard that COVID-19 vaccination rates in Littleton stand at 30 percent while influenza has jumped to a "very high" classification statewide, with one in five Massachusetts emergency department visits now linked to acute respiratory illness.