Two Merced County food businesses failed March health inspections. What was found?
In the past two weeks of inspections, two Merced County food business earned a failing grade in a food-safety inspection from the county’s Environmental Health Division.
Twenty-five restaurants, schools, markets and other food businesses across the county were inspected between March 12 through March 26. Twenty of them currently received “good” ratings, including seven where no violation points were noted. Five scored “satisfactory” grades.
The county gives “good” ratings to businesses with six or fewer violation points, “satisfactory” ratings for seven to 13 violation points, and “unsatisfactory” ratings for 14 or more violation points.
The two “unsatisfactory” ratings was given to Mr. Taco in Los Banos and 7-Eleven, located on Bell Drive in Atwater.
During a March 20 inspection, violations found at Mr. Taco included:
▪ Potentially hazardous foods shall be held at or below 41-45 degrees Fahrenheit or at or above 135 degrees.
▪ All food employees shall have adequate knowledge of and be trained in food safety as it relates to their assigned duties. The person in charge shall have adequate knowledge of, and shall educate employees of the food facility regarding major food allergens.
▪ Failure to keep food pure and free from contamination, adulteration and spoilage. Any food is adulterated if it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render it impure or injurious to health.
Those problems and others added up to 15 violation points for the drive-thru restaurant.
During a March 24 inspection, 7-Eleven, located at 1507 Bell Dr., Atwater received 21 points in violations, which included:
▪ An adequate, protected, pressurized, potable supply of hot water and cold water shall be provided at all times.
▪ All food contact surfaces of utensils and equipment shall be clean and sanitized.
▪ Handwashing soap and single use towels or drying device shall be provided in dispensers adjacent to each handwashing facility; dispensers shall be maintained in good repair.
A follow-up inspection conducted on March 25 showed no violations and upgraded the rating to good.
Businesses that received perfect scores with no violation points were:
▪ Alicia Reyes Elementary School in Merced
▪ Marshalls in Atwater
▪ Deli Sosio in Dos Palos
▪ Hoover Middle School in Merced
▪ Don Stowell Elementary School in Merced
▪ McDonald’s on Olive Drive in Merced
▪ Sheehy Elementary School in Merced
The inspections represent a snapshot of conditions found at the time of a visit and may not indicate a pattern of good or bad food safety practices.
In most instances, if an inspector finds a problem, it’s something that can be fixed on the spot. This can include having enough bleach or sanitizer in the water used to wipe down food-preparation areas, replenishing soap, paper towels and toilet paper in the restrooms, or reminding employees to wash their hands and wear gloves and hairnets.
But some violations are considered more serious and, in some instances, can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by health inspectors. Those may include insect or vermin infestations; refrigerators that don’t keep food cold enough or steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth, or clogged sinks or drains that cause contaminated water to back up into kitchens.
A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations that health inspectors find when they make their routine visits. Hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees is considered important by inspectors for safely washing pots, pans, dishes and glasses, and 100 degrees for employees to wash their hands.
Merced County’s Environmental Health Division maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections online for public viewing at its web page, www.countyofmerced.com/597/Environmental-Health; click the “Food Inspections” tab along the left side of the page.
