Summit County Public Health has inspected over 400 facilities that serve food during the month of July, including restaurants, nursing homes, grocery stores and gas stations, according to health data obtained by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Food establishments are inspected one to four times per year, depending on how complex the menu is and the likelihood of a foodborne illness. Inspectors make sure these establishments are compliant with the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code, which ensures food is safe for public consumption.
Establishments with multiple uncorrected violations can have their licenses revoked or suspended, or in a severe case, the establishment could be forced to close permanently.
What are the types of violations?
There are two types of violations that health inspectors look for: critical and non-critical violations.
Critical violations are those violations that, if left uncorrected, are “more likely to contribute to food contamination or illness,” according to the Summit County Health Department. Examples of critical violations include the improper cooking, reheating or refrigeration of food items.
Non-critical violations are not directly related to foodborne illnesses, but they could still impact the restaurant and lead to critical violations if not corrected. Examples include a lack of facility cleanliness and maintenance.
What types of inspections are there?
Listed below are the seven types of inspections, according to Summit County Public Health:
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Standard: This inspection is unannounced to the facility. A local health department sanitarian will conduct a complete inspection covering all items in the regulations for compliance.
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30 Day Inspection: This is a standard inspection that must be conducted no more than 30 days after a license is issued to a new Food Service Operation or Retail Food Establishment.
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Pre-license Inspection: This inspection is not required, but may be conducted by the local health department prior to issuing a license to a new Food Service Operation or Retail Food Establishment. The purpose of this inspection is to provide consultation and education to the operator.
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Critical Control Point (CCP): This inspection may be scheduled or unannounced. A sanitarian will spend time reviewing a facility’s food processes that may directly contribute to food contamination or illness and educates the facility on proper procedures.
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Process Review (PR): This inspection may be scheduled or unannounced. This type of inspection is similar to a CCP inspection; however the inspections are conducted in facilities such as grocery stores or convenience stores. The inspection will focus on a specific process that may directly contribute to food contamination or illness.
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Follow-up Inspection: This is an inspection for the specific purpose of re-inspecting items that were not in compliance at the time of the standard, CCP and/or PR inspection. These inspections are scheduled.
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Complaint: This is an unannounced inspection conducted as a result of a complaint received by a local health department. The specifics of the complaint will be evaluated and discussed with the person in charge of the facility.
Which Summit County establishments had the most critical violations in July?
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Little Caesars, 1260 Copley Road, Akron: Inspectors found 10 critical violations, including the person in charge being unable to demonstrate knowledge of food temperatures and times for safe cooking, the presence of house flies and sewer gnats and equipment food-contact surfaces and utensils being unclean.
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Los Girasoles, 4161 Steels Pointe Drive Suite 500, Stow: Inspectors found 10 critical violations including the improper storage of poisonous or toxic materials (corrected during inspection), foods not being stored at proper temperatures (corrected during inspection) and the cleanliness of the cooking utensils and surfaces.
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D’Agnese’s Trattoria & Cafe, 566 White Pond Drive, Akron: Inspectors found nine critical violations including unclean utensils and food-contact surfaces, the improper storage of toxic materials (corrected during inspection) and food not being stored at the proper cold temperature (corrected during inspection).
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Casa Nueva Restaurante, 4525 Kent Road, Stow: Inspectors found nine critical violations including food not being stored at the proper temperatures (corrected during inspection), consumers not being properly advised of the risk of eating raw or undercooked animal products and food-contact surfaces not being easily cleanable.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at [email protected], or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Which Summit County restaurants had most health code violations in July?
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