Jefferson County food inspectors kept busy tracking food establishments following the March 14 storm that affected Jefferson County, particularly Arnold. A total of 163 food establishments were affected by the storm. For establishments affected by an extended power outage, the department required that food above 45 degrees for more than two hours or for an unknown amount of time had to be discarded.
In addition to reaching out to those establishments affected by the storm, the Health Department continued its usual round of inspections at food establishments during the week of March 16, inspecting 27 food establishments. Scores ranged from 71 to 100. Some were routine inspections while others were reinspections where scores are not assigned. All inspections are unannounced visits.
Facilities that are considered low priority are not assigned a score. A low priority facility does not prepare food.
According to the Jefferson County Health Department, facilities start with a score of 100, and points are reduced based on observed violations:
■ Six points are deducted for priority violations that directly contribute to foodborne illness risk.
■ Three points are deducted for priority foundation violations that indirectly contribute to foodborne illness risk or enable priority violations.
■ One point for core violations related to general sanitation and good retail practices.
■ Two points for repeat violations of any type.
Dan Kane, environmental supervisor for the Health Department, said the agency does not have ranges for good or bad scores but instead looks at the overall score, adding that readers need to look at the types of violations.
He said a couple of priority violations are more concerning than several core violations.
In certain cases, the Health Department returns to a food establishment to reinspect, allowing time for the facility to correct issues. According to the Health Department, reinspection is not solely based on the score an establishment gets; it’s determined by the type of violation. Priority and priority foundation violations need to be corrected within a certain amount of time, and priority violations typically are corrected on the day of the inspection before the inspector leaves.
Kane said the department rarely closes a food establishment, and most temporary closures involve a power outage, fire or sewage backup.
To see the most updated inspection report or the last three inspection reports, visit jeffcohealth.org/environmental and click on “View Food Establishment Health Inspection Scores.”
The inspection scores for the week of March 16 are listed below. They are all routine inspections unless otherwise noted.
■ Adelita’s Mexican Cuisine, 1235 Main St., Imperial, scored 78 on March 18. Violations: no staff with manager level food training; hand sink full of silverware and napkins; unlabeled bulk container with flour; gnats in bar area; three bottles of juice stored in the ice bin in bar; ice scoop handles touching ice; glasses stored wet; cup being used as a scoop; microwave shelf needs sealing; debris accumulation in bottom of freezer/container holding utensils had debris; and hand sink leaking from discharge pipe.
■ Corse Concessions (FatDogs), 519 E. Main St., De Soto, scored 86 on March 19. No report attached.
■ Country Cafe, 2561 Hwy. 67, Festus, scored 90 on March 18. Violations: debris on can opener; no date marked on baked beans in cooler; frozen pork fritters stored directly on wire shelf in freezer; knife handle stored down in tomatoes instead of above tomatoes; dishes stacked wet; and dusty fan guard.
■ Crispy Edges Eats and Shakes, 700 Collins Dr., scored 89 on March 21. Violations: no employee on duty with manager food safety certificate; employee drinks stored without lid next to food items; raw chicken thawing in hand sink; dish machine with heavy biofilm buildup; and plumbing to food prep sink missing/one faucet in restroom broken.
■ Crystal City Elementary, 600 Mississippi Ave., scored 100 on March 18.
■ Crystal City High, 1100 Mississippi Ave., scored 100 on March 18.
■ Crystal Oaks, 1500 Calvary Church Road, Festus, scored 99 on March 18. Violation: door handle missing on cabinet.
■ De Soto Community Center, 400 Boyd St., was reinspected on March 18. No score given.
■ De Soto Food Pantry, 705 E. Stone St., was inspected on March 18. Due to it being a low-priority facility, no score was given.
■ Eagle Mart, 5701 Old State Hwy. 21, Otto, scored 97 on March 21. Violations: rack for stacking pans in poor condition; soiled cabinets above dish sink/soda machine had syrup buildup; and some coving missing.
■ El Mariachi, 4587 Hunter Lane, Byrnes Mill, scored 71 on March 19. Violations: Employee’s drink did not have a lid and was stored above food prep cooler; cook rinsed hands without soap; no paper towels in hand sink; containers of raw chicken stored above raw steak and cooked steak in cooler/raw eggs stored next to vegetables; no thermometer in a cooler/walk-in cooler door had gaps around it/patio door has gap; two broken hood filters/gap between filters/rusted wire shelving in cooler/shelf above prep cooler needs repair; grease buildup on hood/dish racks for the dish machine soiled with buildup/cooler shelves had food debris/interior and top of dish machine had buildup/oven top soiled with grease; and grease accumulation outside hood exhaust.
■ Express Mart, 4635 Gravois Road, House Springs, scored 80 on March 21. Violations: staff with no food handler certificates; buildup in cappuccino machine; hamburgers being held in heat cabinet below safe temperature and without four-hour discard time marked; gap under front door; milk cooler with dried milk and debris/pizza prep cooler with debris buildup/knife counter and outside of soda machine soiled with debris; soiled floors; and back storage room cluttered with unnecessary items.
■ Four Lakes Restaurant and Event Center, 5925 Plantation Drive, Suite A, Hillsboro, was reinspected on March 21. No score given.
■ Hillsboro Food Pantry, 10399 Hwy. 21, was inspected on March 19. Due to it being a low-priority facility, no score was given.
■ Kentzo Koffee (mobile), St. Louis, scored 99 on March 21. Violation: floor had coffee grinds.
■ Knights of Columbus, 6800 KC Lane, House Springs, was reinspected on March 21. No score was given.
■ La Petite Academy, 3607 Richardson Square, Arnold, scored 95 on March 18. Violation: no staff on duty with manager level food handler certification.
■ Midwest Petroleum, 3910 Jeffco Blvd., Arnold, was inspected on March 19. Due to it being a low-priority facility, no score was given.
■ Midwest Petroleum, 11845 County Road CC, Festus, was inspected on March 19. Due to it being a low-priority facility, no score was given.
■ New Hope Head Start, 3921 Jeffco Blvd., Arnold, scored 100 on March 19.
■ Pevely Elementary, 30 Main St., scored 100 on March 19.
■ Pizza Hut, 1926 Richardson Road, Arnold, scored 100 on March 18.
■ Rosemont Senior Living Centre, 2121 Ridge Drive, Arnold, scored 100 on March 19.
■ St. Pius X High School, 1030 St. Pius Drive, Festus, scored 99 on March 18. Violation: ambient temperature in cooler at incorrect temperature.
■ Twisted Tavern, 3606 West Outer Road, Arnold, scored 91 on March 19. Violations: vegetable cooler drawer at incorrect temperature; frozen raw fish thawing in packaging; rubber spatula with melted handle; and debris buildup on cooler racks, cooler fan guards, vent and cooler drawers.
■ WeeKids Academy, 1930 Meyer Drury Drive, Arnold, scored 100 on March 18
■ Windsor High School, 6208 Hwy. 61-67, Imperial, scored 99 on March 21. Violation: heavy ice accumulation in freezer.
