UK deli once owned by Towie star Charlie Sims slammed in food hygiene inspection

I’m told by wiki that Towie – short for The Only Way is Essex – is the UK equivalent of The Hills and Jersey Shore.

towie.charlie.simsI actually watched The Hills with one of my teenage daughters and a pregnant Amy when we were unexpectedly stranded in Florida as a hurricane approached.

The show was horrible.

But in the name of food safety, a Brentwood high street food outlet – once owned by former Towie star Charlie Sims – has been criticized in a food standards hygiene report.

Charlie’s Deli – which still holds the name of Charlie Sims who opened the eatery in 2014 but sold it at around Christmas – was given a score of just 1 during an inspection on January 18.

Among the work the inspector said was required was that food must be prepared properly.

A list of requirements was then handed to the eatery which read:

“Keep the rear door closed or fit pest-proof screens to the doorway.

“Do not cool food for longer than 90 minutes at room temperature.

DSCN0155.JPG“Provide suitable ventilation to the kitchen.

“Redecorate areas of worn paintwork to kitchen wall surfaces.

“Provide lids to kitchen bins or consider provision of waste bins.

“Provide soap and towels at kitchen wash basin.

“Provide soap at server wash basin.

“Gloss paint or varnish the unsealed wooden shelf above the kitchen wash hand basin.

“Thoroughly clean the work top fridge door handles and door handles.

“Gloss paint or varnish the wooden surface below the two microwave ovens.

“Replace the missing cover to the kitchen work top fridge motor.”

It’s all scripted for you, Charlie’s Deli, just like the reality shows.

‘They never disappoint’ Australian bakery reopens after 151 sickened in Salmonella outbreak

Seven weeks after dodgy chicken schnitzel and pork rolls landed 27 people in hospitalSylvania’s popular Box Village Bakery reopened today and the message from locals was a resounding ‘welcome back’.

c.section.sydney.bakeryReturning regulars turned out to offer their support to the family-owned business, shut down by the NSW Food Authority in the wake of the infamous salmonella outbreak in January.

As many as 150 people were struck down with food poisoning, resulting in the owner leaving an apology note on the front door of the business before closing temporarily.

One former regular, Sylvania local Alison Banks, said she chose to return to the shop today to reassure the operators they were accepted among “most” in the area.

“I’m not even here to buy anything I just wanted to tell them that they have our support,” Mrs Banks said.

“I had a friend who ended up in hospital and I can understand why they might not want to come back but think overall this is a business that is really loved.

salm.sorry.uk “The food is great. It’s always looked clean to me. They will certainly have my support.”

Sylvania’s Jack Schilling and Jarrod Dwyer — both 17 — said they had been monitoring the shop since its closure in anticipation of returning for their famous chicken schnitzel roll.

“They never disappoint,” Schilling said.

Clearly not everyone is a fan however, with one man slowing down in his car to shout “salmonella” from his vehicle before speeding off.

What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas: new app to ID foodborne illnesses sooner

The Southern Nevada Health District has teamed up with the University of Rochester to create an app just for health officials that tracks foodborne illnesses in Las Vegas.

nemesisAt one time or another most people will have a bad experience at a restaurant. In today’s world, they are likely to take to social media to make their complaint known.

Soon the new Southern Nevada Health District app called Nemesis will be tracking your complaints about food.

“So if we find a bunch of people that got sick and they’re all at the same restaurant, we can identify that and then send out an inspector to see if there’s any particular problems at that restaurant,” said Brian Labus, epidemiologist and UNLV professor.

Nemesis is already tested and proven.

Last year, Nemesis monitored about 36,000 tweets per day. One thousand were from restaurants.

Mancini speaks: Hands-on training to enhance the safe handling of food

Our own Rob Mancini will be speaking at the 12th Annual North American Summit on Food Safety taking place at the Old Mill in Toronto on Thursday, April 21st, 2016.

Rob_Mancini_001The importance of training food handlers is critical to effective food hygiene; however, there have been limited studies on the effectiveness of such training.

Food safety training courses are administered worldwide in attempts to reduce outbreaks in food service, retail and temporary food service establishments. However, food handlers often exhibit a poor understanding of microbial or chemical contamination of food and the measures necessary to correct them.

Studies suggest that the provision of a hands-on format of training would be more beneficial than traditional classroom-based programs. The delivery of such a program may assist in changing ones’ food safety behaviours and aid in the retention of knowledge that are necessary to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Safe food practices is serious business

Ken King with Foodservice Consulting & Design LLC, writes in response to the  front-page article about Restaurant 415 in Colorado. After more than 40 years in the restaurant industry, I must disagree with the presumption of the 415 owners that the system is broken. Upon inspection of their detailed health report, I would close down the restaurant (three consecutive “inadequate” ratings) based upon the dangers their operation poses to the dining public.

415.fort.collinsNot noted in the article was the cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, dirty work surfaces, wiping cloths with inadequate sanitizing solutions, staff eating and drinking in the kitchen and, most damning, the holding of foods in the critical danger zones, allowing growth of pathogens. All of these are easily rectified and preventable with capable and engaged Management.

It is apparent that the owners/operators of Restaurant 415 either have not bothered, or (more likely due to their refutation of the health process) hold themselves above the established processes we all observe in order to keep our guests safe from food-borne illnesses. This is not cause to buck the system; rather it is powerful reason for guests to reject any dining establishment which cannot assure food safety.

It has been my personal experience that earning exceptional ratings from Health Department inspections department is easy, if one knows what one is doing. This is serious business.

Where’s the sticker? Hidden because restaurant inspection disclosure not mandatory in Britain

It seems sorta dumb for Cambridge and the UK Food Standards Agency to ensure that Independent eateries “are getting the recognition we think they deserve,” when disclosure – those pretty stars – is voluntary in Britain.

Get a 2-stars-out-of-five? Put that placard away.

rest.inspection.disclosure.uk

Great for reheating, lousy for cooking: How food service uses microwaves in Minnesota

Uneven cooking due to consumer use of microwave ovens to cook food products that have been prepared but are not ready to eat has been a documented risk factor in several foodborne disease outbreaks.

img_microwaveHowever, the use of microwave ovens in restaurants and other food service establishments has not been well documented. The aim of this study was to describe the types of food service establishments that use microwave ovens, how these ovens are used, types of foods heated or cooked in these ovens, types of microwave ovens used in food service establishments, and the level of compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines.

From 2008 to 2009, the Minnesota Department of Health collected data from a convenience sample of 60 food establishments within the state. Facility types included fast-food restaurants, sit-down restaurants, school food service, nursing homes, hotels and motels, and daycare centers. Food preparation practices were classified as prep-serve, cookserve, or complex. Minnesota environmental health specialists administered a study questionnaire to managers during routine inspections. Establishments included in this study reported using microwave ovens primarily to warm commercial ready-to-eat products (67%) and to warm foods for palatability (50%). No minimum temperatures are required for these processes because these foods do not require pathogen destruction. However, food establishments using complex preparation practices more often reported using microwave ovens for multiple processes and for processes that require pathogen destruction. For establishments that did report microwave oven use for food requiring pathogen destruction, the majority of managers reported following most FDA recommendations for cooking and reheating for hot-holding potentially hazardous foods, but many did not report letting food stand for 2 min after cooking.

Additional training on stand time after microwave cooking could be beneficial because of low reporting of this practice among study participants.

Microwave cooking practices in Minnesota food service establishments

Journal of Food Protection, Number 3, March 2016, Pages 507-511, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-15-333

Hedeen, D. Reimann, and K. Everstine

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2016/00000079/00000003/art00021

‘I was going to Buckhead to get the paper and next thing I knew I was on I-75 headed for Florida’ Buckhead steakhouse fails health inspection

Another intrepid barfblog.com contributor passed this on about a semi-famous Atlanta steakhouse up in the Buckhead area, famous for the politicos who dine there.

jimmy.god's.own.drunk“The Steakhouse” on Old Ivy Road failed its most recent health inspection.

The popular restaurant, that’s been in the area for more than 20 years, has a loyal clientele, and several customers were surprised by the score.

“I think a lot of people go there. They take clients. It’s kind of well-known for business dinners and things like that. So, I’m kind of shocked,” said Angie Miller, who ate at the restaurant for Valentine’s Day.

The report says an inspector found food being stored in the same ice used for drinks, a hand sink being used as an ice bin, steaks stored at improper temperatures, slime on the inside of the ice machine, live flies in the kitchen, food items uncovered (in a walk-in cooler) and no soap or paper towels at sinks inside of the building.

When Channel 2 Action News went into the restaurant, we saw a score of 100A still posted despite the recent inspection.

The restaurant says it disagrees with the inspector’s findings.

A manager sent Channel 2 Action News a statement, saying, “Our facilities have been inspected at least annually for 25 years and we have never received an unsatisfactory score. We respectfully disagree with the results of the inspection that occurred on February 29th, 2016 and are taking the appropriate steps to administratively appeal the report.”

And I don’t have a video, but if this Jimmy Buffett version of God’s Own Drunk is worth the 12 minutes.

Everyone’s got a camera: California uni receives A rating after alleged raw chicken is served

The Cal State Fullerton Gastronome maintained an “A” food safety rating following an inspection conducted after reports of undercooked chicken.

According to the CSUF Food Facility Inspection Reports, conducted by the Department of Risk Management and Environmental Health & Safety, Inspector Justine Baldacci carried out the Feb. 24 inspection three days after students lodged complaints.

Baldacci also performed the Gastronome’s last inspection on July 28, 2015. The dining facility received a score of 95. The department scheduled a reinspection date for Nov. 20, 2015. However, no inspection report for November was filed on the CSUF Risk Management and Environmental Health & Safety website.

The most recent inspection report states that Baldacci inspected the facility following a report of allegedly undercooked chicken served to a customer.

cooked.chickenThe inspection found that “the processes, procedures and record keeping for batch cooking were reviewed with management and found to be adequate.”

The incident that caused the complaint took place Sunday, Feb. 21, when students said the chicken they were served for dinner was undercooked.

Elana Stein, 18, posted a picture of the chicken she said was undercooked on the Gastronome’s Facebook page and sent a complaint with the pictures of the alleged raw chicken to Rhonda Robinson, manager of the Gastronome.

Color is a lousy indicator of safety. Use a thermometer and stick it in.

barfblog.Stick It In

Fairytales ‘Great food, finest ingredients’ UK inspectors find ‘shocking’ conditions at Coventry sweet factory

The owner of a sweet factory in Coventry has been fined for failing to keep the premises clean.

Khalistaza Foods.CoventryMoeen Mughal, aged 45, owner of Khalistaza Foods Ltd, based at Unit 6 on the Lythalls Lane Industrial Estate in Foleshill, was charged with failing to keep the premises clean and maintained in good repair and condition, failing to protect food from risk of contamination and failing to put in place a documented food safety management system.

Indian sweets are manufactured at the premises, which are distributed throughout the UK.

Its website says: “We guarantee great food, prepared by dedicated staff, using the finest ingredients and a professional service.”

But at Nuneaton Magistrates Court on March 1, Mughal and Khalistaza Food Ltd pleaded guilty and were each ordered to pay a £1,540 fine, £599 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

The court heard a routine food hygiene inspection was carried out at the premises on August 5 last year, where food hygiene officers noted that cleaning was poor throughout the building.

The floor was dirty, with grease built up on and around cooking equipment, including the controls, and at wall to floor junctions.