Lawrence Board of Health Reinstates Cheese Shop License, Names New Food Safety Agent

LAWRENCE -- April 2, 2026, Lawrence Board of Health reinstates a food shop's license, names a new agent, and takes up nail salon worker safety. The two-member board, Chair Dr. Joel Warren and member Steven H. Gill, sitting without the absent Dr. Vidal Primiterio, unanimously appointed food inspector Carla Frias, hired through a Methuen-Lawrence shared services grant, as an agent of the board at its April 2 meeting. The board also voted unanimously to restore the food establishment license of Dominican Cheese Corp., closed since March 19 after a state inspection found unapproved and unpasteurized dairy products on premises, subject to five conditions including sourcing only from state-approved suppliers under Massachusetts Food Code Section 3-201.11. Esmeli Polanco, a Bridges College public health student, presented research estimating that 70 to 75 percent of Lawrence's approximately 23 nail salons may not be meeting ventilation, chemical storage, and PPE standards, and that none of the five she personally visited had safety data sheets on hand; Warren asked her to return with a detailed inspection checklist for board inspectors to use in the field.