State inspectors knock six York County food-serving establishments

The state Department of Agriculture conducts annual inspections of food-serving businesses to ensure public safety and safe food-handling practices. Schools are inspected twice per year, according to the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratories.      

Whether an establishment is considered compliant or non-compliant is the discretion of the inspector.         

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There are, however, several violations for which inspectors should automatically consider establishments non-compliant. Called "critical violations," they include food temperature issues, employee hygiene and issues with chemicals and how they're handled.   

Depending on the severity of the situation, inspectors and their supervisors could file citations or close an establishment. 

Inspection Violations: 4/4/2023 

SNOWFOX- WEIS #240 - 1424 BALTIMORE ST. - HANOVER, PA 

• Letters of Guarantee available are dated January 2, 2020. Letters must be updated annually. PIC couldn't provide letters for current year. 
• Food facility HACCP plan does not have all required elements as outlined in the PA Food Code and is missing an annual review with signature and more specific information under the verification. 

Inspection Violations: 4/1/2023 

SMALL TOWN SWEETS - 11 MILL ST. - STEWARTSTOWN, PA 

• The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. 
• An open employee's beverage container was observed in the food prep area, a food preparation area. Corrected. Beverage moved by facility. 
• Food employees observed in kitchen area, not wearing proper hair restraints, such as nets, hats, or beard covers. Corrected. 
• Observed wet wiping cloths in kitchen area, not being stored in sanitizer solution. Corrected. 
• Microwave, a food contact surface, was observed to have food residue and was not clean to sight and touch. 
• Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. 
• Food employee observed storing clean food equipment while wet, and not allowing time for draining and/or air-drying. 
• New food facility in operation more than 90 days and has not employed a certified food employee as required. 
• A utility sink or curbed cleaning facility with a floor drain is not provided in the food facility. 
• Paper towel dispenser empty at the handwash sink in the food prep area. 
• No sign or poster posted at the handwash sink in the area to remind food employees to wash their hands. 

Inspection Violations: 3/29/2023 

KFC-TACO BELL - 49 ROBIN HOOD DRIVE - ETTERS, PA 

• The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. 
• Food employees observed in kitchen and serving areas, not wearing proper hair restraints, such as beard covers. 
• At least 12 bags of chicken observed thawing in standing water in the food preparation sink, which is not an approved thawing method. 
• Hot holding pans stored as clean are discolored and not clean to sight and touch. 
• Amber food pans stored as clean have old, heavy accumulation of brown residue. 
• Observed an accumulation of green and black mold like residue on and around the nozzles of the soda and ice machines at drive through. (REPEAT) 
• Cove base tiles in the entry way to the Chicken Freezer are broken and no longer attached to the floor/wall properly. 

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Inspection Violations: 3/27/2023 

CARROLL MART - 3311 N GEORGE ST. - EMIGSVILLE, PA. 

• Several raw animal foods (shell eggs) were stored above ready to eat foods in the walk-in cooler. 
• Observed consumer self-service display of unwrapped apples. Display did not have a sign or placard advising consumers to wash before consumption. 
• Employee foods are stored in direct contact with foods intended for use or sale in the food facility. 
• Facility has only one drain plug for the three drains of the three-compartment sink. A drain plug for each drain is required for proper set up of sink and proper ware-washing. Provided training. 
• Fountain soda nozzles, food contact surfaces, observed to have heavy accumulation of mold-like residue and are not clean to sight and touch. Nozzles were removed for cleaning. 
• Observed no chemical sanitizer being used on equipment and utensils after washing and rinsing them, and prior to use. Provided training. 
• Observed single-service, single-use articles stored in storage room area directly on the floor, and not 6 inches above the floor. 
• Observed Person in Charge wash a fountain soda machine nozzle in the hand wash sink. 
• Floor in the walk-in cooler and walk in freezer is extremely dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning. 
• Mops are not being hung to air dry. 

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Inspection Violations: 3/22/2023 

ROMA'S PIZZA - RED LION - 653 LOMBARD RD. - RED LION, PA. 

• The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. 
• An open employee's beverage container (screw capped variety) was observed in a pan of lunch meat inside the sandwich bain marie cooling unit. 
• Food employees observed in cooks' line and food preparation areas, not wearing proper hair restraints, such as nets, hats, or beard covers. 
• Observed cooked steak food stored directly on the floor in cooks line area, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. 
• Observed cooked pizzas stored under extremely filthy ceiling fan and subject to potential contamination. 
• Observed a 1/3 size pan filled with cooked steak meat and covered with foil cooling on the floor under a table shelf in the cooks' line area. Discussed proper cooling - provided training. 
• Observed steak meat cooling at room temperature in a pan greater than 4" deep and covered on the floor in the cooks' line area, which is not a proper cooling method. 
• Refrigerated ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared in the food cooked steak facility and held for more than 24 hours, located in the cooks' line area, is not being date marked. 
• Refrigerated ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food (cooked chicken) repackaged by the food facility, was not datemarked with a sell by, use by or discard by date. 
• Commercially processed refrigerated, ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety foods (lunchmeats and cheeses), located in the walk-in cooler, and held more than 24 hours, is not being marked with the date it was opened. 
• Shelving, equipment, in cooks' line and front counter area, has non-food contact surfaces exposed to splash, spillage, or other food soiling, made of cardboard, duct tape, damaged adhesive shelf lining, absorbent and rough materials. 
• Sauce bottles dispensing nozzles are filthy to sight and touch. Observed old filthy labels adhered to in use sauce bottles with old filthy tape. 
• Observed cooking equipment in the cooks' line area, with encrusted grease and soil accumulation. 
• Food containers containing various sauces are excessively filthy. 
• Person in charge said facility has a certified food employee, but a certified food employee was not available during all hours of operation, as evidenced by an inability to talk with the certified food employee during this inspection. 
• The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view. 
• Plumbing system not maintained in good repair - observed handsink leaking at the faucet. 
• Trash receptacles used inside the food facility extremely soiled, dirty, sticky and attracting insects. 
• Missing condenser unit cabinet cover on the sandwich bain marie has been replaced with cardboard which does not meet the requirement for surfaces to be non-absorbent and cleanable. 
• FRP wall covering is duct taped at juncture near the handwash sink. Duct tape is NOT an approved repair material for surfaces within food facilities. 
• All non-public areas of the food facility are extremely dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning. 
• Kitchen, pizza, sandwich, storage and preparation areas of the food facility are extremely dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning. 

Inspection Violations: 3/18/2023 

RUTHIE'S BAKERY - 12025 SUSQUEHANNA TRAIL - GLEN ROCK, PA. 

• The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. 
• Food Employee observed changing tasks that may have contaminated hands without a proper handwash in-between. 
• Food Employee observed donning single use gloves without a prior hand wash. 
• Observed raw eggs stored on the top shelf of the upright Delfield two door cooler. 
• All large spice bins, food ingredient storage containers, in the prep/cook area, is not labeled with the common name of the food. 
• Observed wet wiping cloths on the counters through-out the facility, not being stored in sanitizer solution. 
• Observed a large bag of flour and a large bag of salt stored directly on the floor near the dough mixer area, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. 
• Commercially processed vanilla pudding, refrigerated, ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety food, located in the Delfield upright two door cooler, and held more than 24 hours, is not being marked with the date it was opened. 
• Owner stated they use bleach in the third bay for sanitizing, however test strips were for a Quat Ammonium product, not for chlorine. So no proper tests strips were available for testing the sanitizing solution concentration of the third bay sanitizing sink. 
• Observed the chlorine bleach container, which owner stated was for sanitizing dishes, was empty. No other sanitizer was available to sanitize dishes in the third bay sanitizing sink. 
• Observed the following on food contact surfaces: Observed a large long slit in the laminate counter top where bakery items were being sliced with a large knife in the prep area. The slit interior and underside was dripping with an accumulation of bakery debris. Three blue baskets and two clear baskets on shelves beside the bread slicer with accumulation of crumbs/food debris on the interior of these baskets and touching food contact surfaces of the utensils stored inside. Five knives hanging on a magnetic holder and the magnetic holder hanging on a wall near the dough mixer area, with food debris on them and not clean to sight or touch. A small plastic drawer labeled measuring cups with measuring cups inside covered in food debris and not clean to sight or touch. Shelving, next to the three bay sink area, with accumulation of food debris on the shelving units where food contact surfaces were stored and in contact with possible contamination. Observed numerous dirty plastic bowls with a heavy buildup of food debris on the interior and exterior, stored on the shelf over the three bay sink area. The mechanical roll maker was not disassembled and cleaned and was not clean to sight or touch. 
• Observed too numerous to mention, single-service, single-use articles stored in upstairs storage area directly on the floor, and not 6 inches above the floor. 
• Plumbing system not maintained in good repair - observed the faucet leaking at the hand-wash sink. 
• Soap was not available at the hand wash sink in the prep area.