Inspections of all retail food facilities are done yearly, and in some cases more than once per year. Unannounced inspections are conducted for restaurants, school cafeterias, hospital and nursing home cafeterias, grocery stores, convenience stores, fairgrounds, resorts, food trucks, festivals and any event or facility where food is sold to the public.
Melissa Mathews conducts about 145 retail food facility inspections every year for Montezuma and Dolores counties as the Health Department’s environmental health specialist.
The inspections are completed on-site and include compliance standards set by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. The categories are divided into critical and noncritical health standards specific to retail food facilities.
Critical areas are those that if not in compliance may cause foodborne illnesses. The categories include food sources, personnel, food temperature-control, sanitation, water systems and plumbing, hand-washing facilities, pest control and poisonous or toxic items.
Noncritical areas are important, but have less risk of causing foodborne illnesses. The categories include food labeling and protection, equipment design and construction, testing devices, cleaning of equipment utensils and linens, and physical facilities.
Under Colorado law, any retail food customer can ask an establishment for its latest inspection report, and the facility is required to provide it, Mathews said.
Brown’s Country Store42448 U.S. Highway 160, Mancos
date: July 12. .5 hours
Critical violations: 0
noncritical violations: 0
Circle K Ranch27758 Colorado Highway 145
date: July 13, 1 hour
critical violations: 0
noncritical violations: 0
Family Dollar468 U.S. Highway 491, Dove Creek
date: July 20. .3 hours
critical violations: 0
noncritical violations: 0
Stateline Bar & Grill69576 U.S. Highway 491, Dove Creek
date: July 20, 1.6 hours
critical violations: 0
noncritical violations: 0
Loungin’ Lizard2 Main St., Cortez
date: July 23, 2 hours
critical violations: 4
1. Food source category, cross-contamination
inspector comments: Food is no protected from cross-contamination during storage, preparation, holding, display, or transport. Raw hamburger was observed thawing in the walk-in and dripping onto box of chicken. Chicken will be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to eliminate the risk of E. Coli and Salmonella.
Problem was corrected on-site.
2. Personnel category, eating drinking
inspector comments: Open employee beverages or unapproved containers are observed in food preparation areas. Observed blizzard dessert cups stored in freezer used in the pizza/bakery area. Observed a bowl of food half-eaten in back kitchen area by the freezer sitting on the rail going downstairs.
Problem was corrected on-site.
3. Food temperature control category, cold hold at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or less
inspector comments: Potentially hazardous foods are being held improperly at temperatures greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit at all times during service. Observed cooked/cooled pulled pork and cooked/cooled chicken at 44 degrees Fahrenheit in the pizza prep refrigerator. The unit was 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility is going to use time rather than temperature until the unit can be repaired.
We discussed how to label the food to indicate when to time and discard the product once removed from temperature control.
Problem was corrected on-site.
4. Pest Control category, evidence of insects
Inspector comments: The presence of pests is not minimized. Observed multiple flies in the kitchen back prep area where food and equipment is stored.
Problem was corrected on-site.
noncritical violations: 1
1. Physical facilities, premises maintained
inspector comments: Outer openings are not properly protected against pests. Observed back door in the kitchen area open, allowing flies to enter the building.
Stonefish Sushi and More16 Main St., Cortez
date: July 24, 1.5 hours
Critical violations: 0
noncritical violations: 0
Enterprise Bar & Grill3 Glasgow St., Rico
Date: July 25, 2 hours
Critical violations: 5
1. Personnel category, hands washed as needed
Inspector Comments: Employees observed not hand washing when required. Problem corrected on-site.
2. Personnel category, hygienic practices
Inspector Comments: Food employee observed wiping hands on soiled apron, clothes or common towel. Problem corrected on-site.
3. Food temperature control, hot hold at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or greater
Inspector Comments: Potentially hazardous food products are not being properly hot held at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above at all times during service. Observed beans, pulled pork, cheese sauce, and pork green chile at temperatures ranging from 113 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 4 hours. Problem was corrected on-site.
4. Food temperature category, food thermometer
Inspector Comments: Food product thermometers are not routinely calibrated to be accurate to +/- 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Thermometer available for verifying food temperatures is not reading accurate. Operator is going to buy thermometers that can be calibrated. We reviewed the calibration technique. I left a probe type thermometer until they can purchase their own.
Problem corrected on-site.
5. Sanitation category, manual sanitization
Inspector Comments: Food contact surfaces are not adequately sanitized during manual ware washing. Facility was not using the correct procedure for wash, rinse and sanitizing food contact surfaces. Rinse, wash and sanitize was the procedure being used at the time of inspection.
Problem was corrected on-site.
Source: Montezuma County Health Department