Latest news with #healthinspection
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Backroom chicken coop closes Fresno meat market during May restaurant inspections
Reality Check is a Fresno Bee series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email tips@ A Fresno market was closed temporarily in May after inspectors with the health department found what was described as a backroom chicken coop. 'The coop held three young chickens,' according to a Fresno County Department of Public Health report dated May 12. An incubation device and a large adult hen were also observed at Cherry Market on Cherry Avenue just north of Central Avenue south of Fresno. The market and meat department was also cited for not having hot water, which is required to be at a temperature of 120 degrees. The facility was ordered closed until violations could be corrected. That happened within the next day, according to a follow-up inspection by the health department. The market was one of four restaurant and food service providers closed in May, according to public data reported by the health department's environmental health division. Major violations were also found at: Ding Ho Kitchen. The to-go Chinese restaurant at Bullard and Marks avenues was closed May 1 after an inspector found a number of violations, including improper storage of food and trash. There was also an 'excess of flies,' according to the inspection report. Foods were out of temperature and had to be discarded. 'The facility requires cleaning,' the report said. The restaurant was reinspected and reopened May 2. Nueva Italia Michoacan. At the Mexican restaurant on Cedar Avenue just north of McKinley Avenue, inspectors on May 13 were told water to the restaurant had been turned off. The restaurant was closed for a week until the water was restored and it could be reinspected. Baja Fresh. The restaurant inside the Valero gas station on Dorris Avenue in Coalinga did not have any hot water due to a leak in the water heater, a May 20 inspection found. A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations and causes for closure during inspections and is often quickly corrected. In this case, the restaurant was closed for two days. In April, four closures were ordered by the health department, which monitors (and inspects) restaurants, snack bars, grocery stores, commissaries, delicatessens and food vendors across the county and makes its reports available to the public online. That included the North Point Event Center, which has been cited for failures twice so far this year. The May closures mark 25 restaurants, markets and other food businesses that have failed health inspections so far in 2025. The Fresno County Department of Public Health has about two dozen environmental health specialists who monitor almost 5,000 restaurants, snack bars, grocery stores, commissaries, delicatessens and food vendors across the county and make unannounced visits several times a year. Restaurants also are inspected following fires, or in response to complaints or other concerns from the public, including when people report what they believe are health or sanitation issues at restaurants. When inspectors visit a restaurant or other food service business, there is a lengthy and detailed list of more than 50 things that draw their scrutiny. They include: Whether the manager and all employees have the required food safety or food-handling certificates. Hygiene of individual employees. Ways to keep cold food at or below 41 degrees and hot food above 135 degrees. Use of proper sterilization for counters, tables, utensils and cookware. Overall cleanliness. Proper drainage of sinks and floor drains. Restrooms stocked with supplies. Whether the business has the proper license or permit. 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. Insect or vermin infestations are violations that can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by health inspectors. Among other serious concerns are 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.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster responds after receiving devastating health department grade
The general manager of the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster claims a bad health inspection was politically motivated. An inspector from the Somerset County Department of Health gave the private New Jersey club a 32 out of 100 health score on May 6 — the lowest in the county, which includes about 115 retail food establishments. This inspection yielded a C rating, citing 18 violations, including the improper separation of raw meats from ready-to-eat foods, and identified contamination risks. The on-site inspector deemed the club's operations conditionally satisfactory and classified the food establishment as a Risk Level 4 facility. '[The person in charge] fails to demonstrate knowledge of food safety,' the inspector noted in the report, which can be publicly viewed online. In response, the club's general manager, David Schutzenhofer, told The Hill in a statement on Thursday, 'Never before have we witnessed such visceral hostility from the health department. This is clearly nothing more than a politically motivated attack.' 'We operate one of the most immaculate golf facilities in the country, and we take immense pride in our standards of cleanliness, safety, and hospitality,' he said. The Independent has contacted representatives for the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and the Somerset County Department of Health for comment. Forbes was the first to report on the less-than-glowing inspection in an article published on Wednesday. About three hours after the article's release, an inspector conducted a reinspection at Trump's Bedminster club, despite NJ rules requiring surprise visits, Forbes reports. The club received a B grade with a score of 86, the lowest possible for that rating, and was cited for six violations, including two critical ones. Issues included improperly chilled milk and creamers, weak sanitizer levels, and mops stored in buckets instead of being air-dried. Michael McCarty, Somerset County's deputy health director, said that reinspections are routine and typically occur within two to four weeks of the initial visit, according to USA Today. The president owns the Bedminster golf club through a business network and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which allows him to earn income, as he did during his first term. He spent over 100 days there during his office tenure. New Jersey law requires all food establishments, including private golf clubs, to undergo annual inspections. Amid his feud with Elon Musk, Trump has decamped to Bedminster for the weekend.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- CBS News
Pittsburgh restaurant hit with consumer alert after inspector finds dead mice and rodent droppings
A Pittsburgh restaurant was hit with a consumer alert after an inspector reported finding dead mice and "too many to count" rodent droppings. The Allegheny County Health Department issued a consumer alert for Murray Ave Grill in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood after an inspection on May 8. According to the report, an inspector found two dead mice in the basement. On top of that, the inspector wrote that there were "too many to count" rodent droppings along the walls, floors and shelves in the basement storage areas and office space. There were reportedly rodent droppings throughout the facility, including in the walk-in cooler and in a cabinet behind the bar. The inspector also reported finding two liquor bottles at the bar with dead insects floating inside, and there was a "black, mold-like substance" on the ice machine. The health department designates those violations as high risk, meaning they may lead directly to foodborne illness or injury. Several other medium- and low-risk violations were found during the inspection, like loose rodent bait packs in the basement and behind the booths in the dining room. As of Monday afternoon, the consumer alert was still posted, according to the health department's website. The website will be updated when it's removed.
