Shortly after reopening in mid-January, Garden City restaurant Almanza’s finally broke its almost three-year chain of unacceptable and marginal health inspection ratings with a fair rating.
The inspector catalogued six violations Jan. 24 at the restaurant, including one that sends shivers up most restaurant-goers spines: “several live and several dead roaches in the kitchen area.”
Though it might be the most gag-inducing violation, the presence of insects, rodents and animals impacts a restaurant’s health inspection rating as much as having a certified food protection manager and holding certain foods at the proper temperatures. Similarly, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2121 in Garden City earned an excellent rating in December, despite rodent droppings on the bottom shelf of wall cabinets in the kitchen.
Food and Drug Administration Food Code
Beginning this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment adopted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2013 Food Code. For more information on what the new code entails, go to bit.ly/COFoodCodeChanges19.
Dan Joseph, food coordinator for Weld County, explained that the health inspection system focuses on that which directly impacts food preparation and food safety. Though pests could contaminate a food supply, their presence at an establishment isn’t necessarily a direct threat to consumers’ safety.
Leaving food like lettuce or sour cream at a temperature warmer than 41 degrees for an extended period, however, creates a breeding ground for bacteria that could produce fatal toxins. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture fact sheet, bacteria grow most rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees. In this temperature zone, bacteria can double in number in as little as 20 minutes.
“Temperature violations are more of a concern than droppings — not that (droppings) aren’t a concern,” Joseph said. “We just weight the point value higher on something that could immediately make you sick.”
The danger of inappropriately-stored food is one message in a 2008 case resurfacing after a YouTube account posted a video recounting the case. A 2011 report in the “Journal of Clinical Microbiology” details the story: a 20-year-old man died hours after eating five-day-old pasta that spent the first two days after its preparation at room temperature.
The Colorado Board of Health adopted beginning this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2013 model Food Code and supplement. Joseph said the inspections didn’t change much, other than the language. Violations were previously coded as “Critical” or “Non-Critical.” Violations are now coded as “Priority Item,” “Priority Foundation Item” or “Core Item,” from most serious violation to least.
Joseph said the health department sets its eyes on establishments serving food before walls even go up, reviewing designs for new buildings that will have a public food service component. Before the opening, restaurants then undergo two inspections: the walk-through, when there might be a hole that needs fixing or a wall that needs patching, and the pre-opening, where virtually all the restaurant needs to do is turn on the lights, Joseph said.
The frequency of inspections vary by a department’s budget and staffing. In Weld, establishments with little food handling, like a Walgreen’s or bar that doesn’t serve fresh food, get annual inspections. Most restaurants have inspections twice a year in Weld, Joseph said. Finally, there are establishments that get three regular inspections in a year: about half are large-scale operations, like the University of Northern Colorado’s dining halls, and the other half are restaurants that recently experienced recurring food safety issues.
In 2018, three restaurants attended hearings before the Weld County Board of County Commissioners for health code violations, including Sapporo Japanese Steak House in Greeley, Deno’s I-76 in Keenesburg and Taqueria La Sierra in Fort Lupton, which had its license suspended.
https://www.greeleytribune.com/news/how-a-weld-county-restaurant-gets-a-fair-health-rating-despite-several-live-and-dead-roaches/ 2019-02-02 01:04:02Z
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