This conversation is moderated according to USA TODAY's community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion.
Restaurant inspectors visit restaurants to ensure safe conditions related to handling and cooking food. (Photo: Peopleimages, Getty Images)
Oakland County Health Division in October inspected several dozen South Lyon-area establishments that serve food to the public and cited 11 for violating priority provisions of the Michigan Modified Food Code.
Priority items, such as correct cooling temperatures and proper food storage methods, help prevent food-borne illness. Priority violations are the most serious of Michigan Modified Food Code infractions.
Hometown Life lists local establishments that incurred priority violations during routine monthly restaurant inspections, along with the actions they took to remedy the problem. Here's the list for June:
1. Several potentially hazardous foods in three-door wait station cooler holding between 48 and 52 degrees F, placed in cooler two and a half hours prior, per person in charge. Items included several facility-made dressings, portion control cups of cream cheese, hummus, and sour cream, whipped cream, milk, and coffee creamer labeled as "keep refrigerated." Ambient air temperature of noted cooler observed at 50 degrees F. Person in charge placed noted items within ice baths and in walk-in cooler to rapidly cool to hold at 41 degrees F and below within two hours.
1. Working container of raw shell eggs stored directly next to containers of vegetables in reach-in portion of top-loading cooler on cookline; Large bag of carrots stored directly next to boxes of raw chicken inside walk-in cooler. Person in charge moved and stored all raw animal products below and away from all ready-to-eat food, arranged according to final cook-off temperature.
2. Drain line from ice machine near three-compartment sink observed hanging directly inside floor drain without an air gap. Person in charge moved and secured the drain line upward to provide an air gap of at least one inch between the end of the drain line and the flood rim of the associated floor drain.
3. Facility observed using Clorox brand "splashless" bleach within wet wiping cloth bucket located near swinging kitchen door. Bottle did not bear an EPA registration number and manufacturer instructions state that noted bleach is not to be used for sanitization. Person in charge discarded existing sanitizing solution and provided an approved sanitizer for use within facility's wet wiping cloth buckets.
1. Raw eggs were noted being stored next to and above strawberries in the reach in cooler at the main line; Container of beans were noted stored next to raw patties in the walk-in cooler. Operator arranged the foods so that raw animal products are stored below and away from ready to eat foods and raw animal products are stored according to their final cook off temperatures.
2. A) The following potentially hazardous food items were noted holding at temperatures between 46F and 48F for over four hours in the large cooler at the weight station:
B) Several containers of half and half were noted stored on ice and being held at 68F for more than four hours.
3. Per person in charge, utensils for constant uses (knives and spatulas) on the main food line are only being washed, rinsed, and sanitized at the end of operation. Utensils were washed, rinsed and sanitized.
4. A lighter was noted stored above the food window at the main line. Lighter was relocated to a location that is below and away from any food and food contact surfaces.
1. The following drain lines observed with no air gap between the end of the drain line and flood rim of the floor drain:
Person in charge moved and secured both noted drain lines upward to provide an air gap of at least one inch between the end of the drain lines and flood rim of the associated floor drains.
1.Observed the following past the manufacture use by dates inside the front makeline reach-in cooler: A. 6/5 sour cream, B. 5/13 coleslaw. Today is 6/7. Person in charge discarded all of the noted items.
1. Employee observed handling raw ground beef patty with gloved hands, placing patty on grill, then reaching to handle ready-to-eat food without an intermediate glove change and handwashing step. Per sanitarian instruction, employee removed their single-use gloves, washed their hands, and donned new gloves prior to continuing to work with ready-to-eat food.
2. Box of raw bacon strips stored directly next to cartons of pasteurized liquid eggs and package of cooked bacon strips in walk-in cooler; Two cartons of raw shell eggs stored directly on top of box of raw chicken in walk-in cooler. Person in charge moved and stored all raw animal products below and away from all ready-to-eat food, arranged according to their final cook-off temperature.
3. Portioned bags of cooked chicken at 47-50 degrees F, stacked high above fill line of container in top-loading section of cooler nearest fryers. Item was placed in cooler less than two hours prior, per person in charge; Facility-made chipotle ranch dressing at 48 degrees F in shallow ice bath in expo for less than two hours, per person in charge. Person in charge placed portioned bags of chicken in reach-in cooler to rapidly cool to hold at 41 degrees F and below, and person in charge modified ice bath to rapidly cool chipotle ranch dressing to 41 degrees F and below.
5. Dish machine observed with a chlorine sanitizer concentration of 10 ppm, per test strip. Chlorine sanitizer bucket at dish machine observed empty. Person in charge provided a new chlorine sanitizer bucket for use at dish machine and machine observed properly sanitizing equipment at a concentration of 50 ppm chlorine.
6. Two pest control strips containing dichlorvos placed underneath sink in prep area and underneath ice bin nearest interior end of bar. The areas noted are not approved for the pest strip use, per manufacturer's guidelines. Person in charge discarded noted pest strips. See handout provided at OCHD visit for locations where these strips can be used.
1. Observed evidence of a past grinder pump failure located in a grassy area behind the food service establishment. The grinder pump was repaired according to law on 05/31/2019 by Highland Treatment.
1. A container of curry sauce containing half and half and a container of raw pooled eggs stored in an ice bin with most of the ice melted are each holding at 49F. Per the person in charge they have been out for three hours and twenty minutes. The person in charge provided more ice to the ice bath to rapidly cool the noted food items to 41F or below within forty minutes.
1. Several individual containers of Horizon lowfat milk in open-front display coolers and in box underneath coffee mug retail section with a manufacturer best by date of June 8, 2019 and June 9, 2019. Today's date is June 21, 2019. Person in charge discarded all noted items.
2. The following drain lines observed hanging directly inside associated floor drain without an air gap: 1) Drain line from ice bin nearest drive thru window. 2) Black drain line from left espresso machine (Drain line is hanging directly inside PVC pipe continuation right of machine underneath counter; PVC pipe is directly connected to the sewage system). 3) Two drain lines from main ice machine in rear of kitchen. All noted drain lines moved and secured upward to provide an air gap of at least one inch between the end of the drain line and flood rim of the associated floor drain.
1. A dichlorvos pest strips was noted stored above the sandwich warmer. Dichlorvos pest strips was discarded.
1. Top loading cooler was noted holding the following potentially hazardous foods at temperatures between 44F and 48F for two and a half hours:
Contact David Veselenak at dveselenak@hometownlife.com or 734-678-6728. Follow him on Twitter @davidveselenak.
Post time: Aug-17-2019