Dead roach in the rice: Latest Merced County health inspections
One Merced County business evaluated by inspectors from the county Division of Environmental Health received an “unsatisfactory” grade during the latest round of inspections from Nov. 26 to Dec. 5.
Of the latest businesses to be evaluated, four received a rating of “good” and two received a rating of “satisfactory.”
What the ratings mean
Businesses that accumulate zero to six violation points during an inspection receive a “good” rating. A rating of “satisfactory” is given to businesses that accumulate seven to 13 points. Businesses that accumulate 14 points or greater receive an “unsatisfactory” rating.
Violations recorded by inspectors can range in severity from minor to major. Major violations are “ very likely to get people sick” and must be corrected immediately or the business, or parts of the business, must close until the issue is corrected, according to the Division of Environmental Health. If a business fails an inspection, a reinspection is required at a later date.
The Division of Environmental Health said a minor violation is one “likely to get people sick but does not require the location to close.”
Details from ‘Unsatisfactory’ reports
Here is a look at the “unsatisfactory” report from Nov. 26 to Dec. 5:
New China Cafe, 1002 W. Main St., Merced
New China Cafe received an “unsatisfactory” rating (14 points) during an inspection Dec. 2, 2025. Here are the violations as observed by the health inspector:
Food prep:
- Observed multiple potentially hazardous food staged to be prepared at the same time but not actively being worked on. Keep food under refrigeration when not actively being worked on. Work on one process at a time to prevent food being kept under room temperature for extended period of time.
- Observed bean sprouts, eggs and cooked noodles stored at room temperature at the cook line. Keep food under refrigeration when not actively being used in cooking.
- All foods in excess of 10 degrees from the required temperature was voluntarily discarded.
- Observed the lack of paper towels in the dispenser for the kitchen hand wash station. Keep hand wash station stocked.
- Observed the accumulation of food debris in and around the wok stove. Improve cleaning frequency.
- Observed a dead roach in the rice and one nymph in the kitchen. Per owner, facility was treated for roaches recently.
- Observed an accumulation of food debris in and around the wok stoves. Clean equipment daily to prevent the accumulation of food debris, which is a food source for roaches.
Businesses that received ‘Good’ ratings
- Panda Express #832, 1786 Olive Ave., Building H, Merced
- Domino’s #7946, 800 Commerce Ave., Atwater
- Fosters Freeze, 1401 Winton Way, Atwater
- Pizza Factory, 1516 Center Ave., Dos Palos
Businesses that received ‘Satisfactory’ ratings
- Atwater Memorial Building (Castle Veterans Organization), 1390 Broadway, Atwater
- Sourdough and Co, 1809 Bellevue Road, Atwater
Next steps for Merced businesses
According to the Division of Environmental Health, some problems found by inspectors can be fixed at the time of the inspection. In other instances, violations an inspector deems more serious may result in the closure of the business at the time of the inspection.
The inspections represent a snapshot of the conditions that were observed by health inspectors at the time of their visit and may not indicate a pattern of either good or bad safety practices.
The Merced County Division of Environmental Health maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections, which can be found online at the Merced County Environmental Health website.
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Dead roach in the rice: Latest Merced County health inspections."
