Health Department Inspections is a regular listing of inspections conducted in Surry County establishments by North Carolina health officials. The listing includes restaurants, schools, day care facilities, adult care and other facilities. The listings give the health inspector score, if applicable, along with the text of their findings in their words.
El Comal Rojo, 392 Dudley Ave., Mount Airy. Inspected Nov. 21, score 82.5. Violations: 1) PIC present, Demonstration – Certification by accredited program, and performs duties: Certified Food Protection Manager – C — Beginning January 1, 2014, it became a requirement that all food handling establishments have a food safety certified manager on the premises during all operating hours. There were no food safety certified people in charge today.
2) Management and food employee knowledge, and conditional employee; responsibilities and reporting. Responsibility of Permit Holder, Person in Charge, and Conditional Employees – P — An employee Health policy could not be located.
3) Hands clean and properly washed: Where to Wash – PF — An employee was witnessed washing hands in the one-compartment sink. Hands must only be washed in designated handwash sinks. The employee was educated and began washing hands in the handwash sink.
4) No bare hand contact with RTE foods or a pre-approved alternate properly followed: Preventing Contamination from Hands – P,PF — Several times, the owner and his employees were witnessed handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands. Ready-to-eat foods cannot be handled with bare hands. Using gloves, tongs, or food paper is required to be used to touch ready-to-eat foods. Employees were educated and they began handling food with gloves on.
5) Handwashing sinks, supplied and accessible: Handwashing Cleanser, Availability – PF — Keep the handwash soap stored at the handwash sink. This was corrected by placing the handwash soap at the handwash sink. Do not use dish soap for handwash soap (hand soap was available and was used after mentioning). Using a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance – PF — A handwash sink must not be used for any purpose other than handwashing. The handwash sink was witnessed being used for food prep/storage of food.
6) Food separated and protected: Food Contact with Equipment and Utensils – P — Tongs used to handle raw beef were used to handle raw onions. Do not use tongs that have come into contact with raw meats to pick up ready-to-eat foods. The onions were discarded and the tongs washed and a new set of tongs were used to dispense ready-to-eat foods to correct this violation.
7) Food-contact surfaces: cleaned and sanitized: Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces and Utensils-Frequency – P — When tongs were washed, the sanitize step was skipped. When washing dishes, dishes must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before using again. This was corrected by having the owner wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes properly.
8) Toxic substances properly identified, stored, and used: Common Name-Working Containers – PF — The sanitizer was not labeled. It was labeled to correct this violation).
9) Thermometers provided and accurate: Food Temperature Measuring Devices – PF — A small diameter probe thermometer must be purchased for use to check the temperatures of thinner foods. This must be corrected as soon as possible. (A thermometer is available, just not for thinner foods).
10) Contamination prevented during food preparation, storage and display: Food Storage-Preventing Contamination from the Premises – C — Food must not be prepared within 18 inches of the handwash sink, unless a splashguard is installed. Also, the handwash sink cannot be used for food prep.
11) Personal cleanliness: Effectiveness-Hair Restraints – C — Employees must wear effective hair restraints when cooking, preparing, or serving food.
12) Single-use and single-service articles; properly stored and used: Equipment, Utensils, Linens and Single-Service and Single-Use Articles-Storing – C — Keep single-service trays and plates inverted to protect them from contamination. There was improvement in this violation.
13) Equipment, food and non-food-contact surfaces approved; cleanable, properly designed, constructed and used. Food Equipment, Certification and Classification – C — Mobile food units must use NSF-approved equipment for holding potentially hazardous foods. Or if not NSF-listed, must meet Chapter 4 of the NC Food Code and must be used for its intended use. Coolers used today are not NSF and are not suitable for use in a mobile food unit.
14) Non-food-contact surfaces clean: Nonfood Contact Surfaces – C — Remove the protective material from the side of the sandwich unit. Clean the top of the hood.
El Mexicano, 171 Padron Trail, Pilot Mountain. Inspected Nov. 21, score 91. Violations: 1) Management and food employee knowledge, and conditional employee; responsibilities and reporting. Responsibility of Permit Holder, Person in Charge, and Conditional Employees – P — An employee Health policy could not be located.
2) Handwashing sinks, supplied and accessible: Using a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance – PF — There was storage in front of and inside of the handwash sink that made the sink inaccessible. The items were moved to correct this. 5-202.12 Handwashing Sinks, Installation – PF — There was no hot water at the time of inspection. Handwash sinks must provide water at least 100 degrees F. This needs to be corrected with 10 days (11/30/15).
3) Food-contact surfaces: cleaned and sanitized: Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment, Chemical Sanitization-Temperature, pH, Concentration and Hardness – P — The sanitizer read less than 50 ppm. Sanitizer must be in the range of 50-200 ppm. This was corrected by adding more bleach to the sanitizer.
4) Toxic substances properly identified, stored, and used: Common Name-Working Containers – PF — The bottles of sanitizer must be kept labeled. This was corrected during the inspection by labeling the bottles.
5) Personal cleanliness: Effectiveness-Hair Restraints – C — Employees must wear effective hair restraints when cooking, preparing, or serving food.
6) Equipment, food and non-food-contact surfaces approved; cleanable, properly designed, constructed and used: Food Equipment, Certification and Classification – C — Coolers cannot be used to store hot food. You must use an NSF-approved unit to hold food hot (pork). Good Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment – C — The 3-compartment sink does not have cleanable corners. The 3-compartment sink must have easily cleanable compartments.
7) Hot and cold water available; adequate pressure: Capacity-Quantity and Availability – PF — The water heater was not working at the time of inspection, or the heater at least did not reach a suitable temperature to wash hands or utensils. This needs to be corrected within 10 days (11/30/15).
8) Plumbing installed; proper backflow devices: Enclosed System, Sloped to Drain – C — An inlet cap/cover must be installed on the fresh water inlet on the outside of the mobile food unit.
9) Physical facilities installed, maintained and clean: Floors, Walls and Ceilings-Cleanability – C — Keep all storage at least 6 inches off of the floor (storage in cabinets).
Gentry Middle School lunch room, 1915 W. Pine St., Mount Airy. Inspected Feb. 3, score 98. Violations: 1) Food-contact surfaces: cleaned and sanitized: Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils – P — The slicer had a build-up on the underside of the blade. It was not cleaned thoroughly after use on Friday. It was immediately cleaned and sanitized to correct this.
2) Physical facilities installed, maintained and clean: Cleaning, Frequency and Restrictions – C — Clean the filters in the hood system. Clean the vent in the ceiling above the wash side of the dish machine. Repairing-Premises, Structures, Attachments, and Fixtures-Methods – C — Keep the filters stored in the hood so that the drainage holes are pointed down to allow grease, if any, to drain into the drip pans.