Inadequate hand-washing leads to failing grade for one Merced County food business
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- Sunshine Donuts in Los Banos received 20 violation points and failed inspection.
- Violations included inadequate hand-washing and improper utensil sanitation.
- County ratings use a point system; 14 points or more results in unsatisfactory grades.
In recent inspections conducted over the past week, one Merced County food business earned a failing grade in a food-safety inspection from the county’s Environmental Health Division.
Three food businesses across the county were inspected between May 30 through June 5.
The Merced Unified High School District Nutrition Services received a good rating with zero violations.
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.
Sunshine Donuts in Los Banos received an “unsatisfactory” rating for the following violations:
▪ Food employees shall keep their hands and exposed portions of their arms clean, and shall maintain fingernails so they are cleanable.
▪ Employees are required to wash their hands before beginning work, before handling food equipment. utensils and as often as necessary during food preparation to remove soil and contamination.
▪ All food contact surfaces of utensils and equipment shall be clean and sanitized.
▪ 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.
Those problems and others added up to 20 violation points for the doughnut shop.
The inspector commented that he observed staff did not wash hand prior to touching a ready to eat bagel. The bagel was thrown away and staff advised to wash hands prior to touching ready to eat food.
The inspector also observed the ice cream scoops did not have a heated source of water or continually flushing scoop to prevent contamination of ice cream between scoops.
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.
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.
