Dirty kitchen equipment, food kept at incorrect temperatures and improper food handling are among serious violations found by restaurant inspectors.

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Restaurant inspections reveal serious violations that pose risks of foodborne illnesses. (Photo: Kondor83, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Of the Livingston County restaurants inspected in July 2019, priority and priority foundation violations were found at 28 locations.

Each month, the Livingston County Health Department inspects some businesses and schools that serve food.

The Livingston Daily publishes reports on the most serious violations — ones that could lead to contamination of food or increase the risk of transmitting a foodborne illness — as well as corrective measures taken.

The can opener had a large accumulation of dried food on it. It was taken to the dish washing area to be cleaned. The ice machine had some mold growth on the inside barrier, which could drip onto the ice. It was removed and cleaned during the inspection. The employee restroom was out of soap. Some was provided. Raw hamburgers were stored over ready-to-eat food. They were moved to the bottom shelf. Spinach pies from the previous day were put in a hot holding unit cold. They were 120 degrees after about an hour, and are usually heated to 140 degrees for hot holding. Reheated food for hot holding needs to reach 165 for at least 15 seconds within 2 hours before holding at 135 degrees or above. The heat was turned up, but they had only reached 145 degrees a half hour later. The person in charge decided to put them in the oven so that they are reheated quickly. The chili was at 145 degrees in the hot holding unit after 1.5 hours, so it was moved to the stove to reheat to 165 within another half hour. These will now be the restaurant’s reheating procedures.

The can opener had an accumulation of food and metal shavings. It was washed during the inspection. There were no paper towels at the kitchen hand sink. They were provided during the inspection. There was a can of tomatoes badly dented on the rim. It was discarded. Raw chicken was stored over raw beef in the walk-in cooler. The raw chicken was moved to the bottom since it needs to be cooked to a higher temperature. There were also several containers of food throughout the facility without lids which, could lead to cross contamination. The foods were covered.

No sanitizing step was being performed after washing and rinsing. The person in charge was unaware that a sanitizing step was necessary. Bleach was available. The person in charge was shown the correct concentration needed for chlorine sanitizing and filled the sink with the correct amount. Chili meat sauce was in a crock pot holding at 73 degrees. The pot was working the previous night but was no longer working. The chili was discarded. The large line cooler was holding deli meat and cheese at 43-46 degrees. Items were relocated to another cooler holding at 39 degrees. There were hot dogs in the small cooler on the counter that were not dated. Upon return, the inspector found all items requiring date marking were dated. The chlorine bleach available did not have directions for food contact surfaces and an EPA registration number. Bleach with instructions for food contact surfaces was available when the inspector returned to follow up.

The cutting boards at the front counter were used directly for food prep and the slicers in the kitchen are washed, rinsed, and sanitized nightly. These areas are required to be washed, rinsed, and sanitized at least once every four hours during continual use. There were individual milk containers in the 1-door cooler with a use-by date that had passed. The milk was discarded. Quaternary test kits could not be located by staff.

There was a spray nozzle attached to the end of the hose at the mop sink since the previous night with the handles for the water in the “on” position, which puts constant pressure on the atmospheric vacuum breaker. This may cause this back flow prevention device to fail, so the spray nozzle must always be removed from the hose. It was taken off during the inspection. The manager stated that at the end of the night mac and cheese and green beans that are left are placed into a cooler covered with a maximum depth of about 6 inches. This method is unlikely to cool the food within the proper parameters. Tongs used for cooked chicken are cleaned at least once a day. The tongs need to be cleaned at least once every four hours.

An employee did not change food handling gloves between tasks. The employee left the prep area to perform another task and did not change food handling gloves upon return. The hand sink near the grill area did not contain paper towels. Towels were provided. The grill cook who handles raw meat touched the fryer basket and reset buttons, which were then touched by employees who assemble ready-to-eat food. An employee who assembles ready-to-eat food touched the dedicated raw meat utensil.

Cream pies were holding at 44-45 degrees. They were relocated to other coolers. They were told to repair the cooler. Chlorine test strips were not available at the time of the inspection. Some were purchased.

There was cooked sausage cooling at room temperature next to the hot grill line at 64 degrees. It was discarded. They fried up a new batch and held the sausage on the grill at 135 degrees or above. There were some cooked potatoes in a large bus tub holding at 68 degrees. They put the potatoes back on a sheet tray in walk-in cooler. There were cooked sausage links at 70 degrees in the cooler cooling in plastic containers nestled on top of one another with a lid. The person in charge removed them and placed them on a pan in a single layer to cool quickly. There was a waitress handling the toast with bare hands.

The sanitizer concentration was too low in the 3-compartment sink. Bleach was added to correct the issue. An employee washed their hands in a 3-compartment sink. Only designated hand washing sinks may be used.

There were no hand towels at the hand sink in the restroom. They were replaced. There were multiple spray bottles of chemicals hanging on the shelving unit with clean pans at the dish washing area. The bottles were relocated to a restroom.

There was ham and bean soup in the walk-in cooler cooling in a larger plastic container. While there was no temperature violation cited as the soup was at 143 degrees and just placed in the cooler 20 minutes before, this method would most likely not have cooled the soup within the proper parameters. Staff transferred it to a shallow metal pan to expedite the cooling process. There were three in-house prepared salad dressings in the 1-door upright at the waitress station not dated properly. The chef provided new updated date marks at the time of inspection. The facility overall demonstrated knowledge on date marking.

A cook had single-use gloves on and grabbed the wiping cloth from the wiping cloth bucket, wiped a knife, and then handled a quesadilla with the same gloves. A dishwasher had single-use gloves on while touching dirty dishes, and then he put away clean dishes with the same gloves.

There were no paper towels at the hand sink at the front counter near the register. They were provided. Dirty pans were stored in the hand sink at the front prep area. Trays were on the hand sink in the back prep/dish washing area. Both items were removed so that the hand sinks are easily accessible.

Three employees on duty did not wash hands before returning to food service tasks. One did not wash hands after using a personal cell phone. One did not wash hands before wearing food handling gloves. One did not wash hands after washing dishes and wiping spillage from a counter top.

The mashed potato scoop was sitting on clean foil next to the mashed potato pan and is washed at the end of the night or if it gets crusty. It needs to be washed, rinsed and sanitized at least once every four hours.

Food in the prep cooler was holding at 46-50 degrees. The foods were discarded, which included cut lettuce, cut tomato, cut melon, cheese, cooked ham, and deli meats. A new cooler was holding at 38-40 degrees, an appropriate range, upon the inspector’s return.

The dish machine is not dispensing the proper amount of sanitizer as required by the manufacturer. It was repaired by a technician.

There was only one thermometer available, and it had a range of -40 to 160 degrees. This facility does cook chicken, so they would need a range of 0 to 220 degrees. Staff bought a proper thermometer.

The dish machine was not sanitizing in the proper sequence, because the soap and sanitizer containers were reversed. This caused the sanitizing step to occur before the wash/rinse step.The product containers were switched and proper sanitizing was restored.

Pre-made salads and a container of lettuce did not have date marking labels. The items were discarded.

Sautéed mushrooms and potato soup were cooling in quart-sized containers with tight fitting lids. The items were recently prepared and still above 135 degrees. The covers was removed to cool them.

A reach-in cooler was holding food at 52 degrees. Single serving milk bottles were discarded. The broken cooler was decommissioned and removed.

The dish machine was not dispensing sanitizer because the product container was empty. The container was replaced and proper sanitizer levels were restored.

A new water line was installed to the hot water faucet at the hand sink, but it was connected to a cold water pipe. The hand sink now has two cold water lines attached instead of a hot and cold line.

The 2-door cooler in the front counter area was holding deli meats and cheese at 45-48 degrees. It was adjusted and the cooler was found to be holding at an appropriate 32-39 degree range.

The ice machine had an accumulation of pink slime mold on the ice shield and top of bin, which can drip onto the ice. The machine is supposed to be cleaned monthly, but it looks like it was not done thoroughly enough. Photos of the cleaned ice machine were submitted to correct the violation.

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Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Timar at 517-548-7148 or at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook @Jennifer.Timar99 and Twitter @JenTimar99.