Florida food truck ‘Roach egg sack floating in the steam table’ and no license

Doug Trovillion, owner of the Orlando, Florida food truck named Kona Dog, might want to purchase some RAID and get a license because according to recent inspections, he has neither.

food.truckHis food truck, Kona Dog food truck, was inspected on August 19th & 20th, during which time the inspectors found several violations including operating without a license (twice), a roach egg sack floating in the steam table, 11 live roaches observed by the inspector, the operator killing two roaches with his bare hands  then touching a pack of hot dogs without washing his hands among many, many other violations.

Below is a list of all violations noted during Trovillion’s August 19 & 20 inspections.

You can read these inspections in full here.

People still listen to this guy? Jim Cramer says Chipotle will get past E. coli issue

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill were up over 5% Monday after dropping 12% Friday on news of another E. coli breakout. The stock received a number of downgrades.

chipotle.stock.nov.24The Street’s Jim Cramer isn’t surprised. The co-manager of the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio said on CNBC’s “Mad Dash” segment investors are jumping in now to buy, buy, buy thanks to the recent drop in stock price. Chipotle stock trades around $564.

Cramer is confident Chipotle management will work through the current E. coli problems but it’s still unclear how long this issue will persist, which creates risk for investors.

“There’s clearly a problem,” Cramer said. Investors are trying to factor in the impact and decide if the latest selloff correctly prices in enough of the slowdown.

Cramer asserted that Chipotle has a very responsible management team, and the company has built up a lot of “good will” with its customer base. So when this issue is done, Chipotle should be able to recover fairly quickly.

Cramer said Chipotle should address the situation and let the public know if it has a handle on the problem or not.

Financial advisors know shit about E. coli.

And finance. Here’s Jon Stewart’s epic 2009 takedown of Cramer. For international viewers, here’s the CBS news summary.

19 sick in 7 states from Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections linked to Costco rotisserie chicken salad

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, and public health officials in several states are investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) infections.

costco.chicken.salad.nov.15As of November 23, 2015, 19 people infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O157:H7 have been reported from 7 states.

The majority of illnesses have been reported from states in the western United States.

5 ill people have been hospitalized, and 2 have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The epidemiologic evidence available at this time suggests that rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale stores in several states is a likely source of this outbreak.

14 (88%) of 16 people purchased or ate rotisserie chicken salad from Costco in the week before illness started.

The ongoing investigation has not identified what specific ingredient in the chicken salad is linked to illness.

On November 20, 2015, Costco reported to public health officials that the company had removed all remaining rotisserie chicken salad from all stores in the U.S. and stopped further production of the product until further notice.

Consumers who purchased rotisserie chicken salad from any Costco store in the United States on or before November 20, 2015, should not eat it and should throw it away.

Even if some of the rotisserie chicken salad has been eaten and no one has gotten sick, throw the rest of the product away.

This product has a typical shelf life of 3 days and is labeled “Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken” with item number 37719 on the label.

21 sick: E. coli outbreak linked to Nevada restaurant

Health officials in northern Nevada are investigating more than a dozen confirmed and probable cases of E. coli that might be associated with a Reno restaurant.

twisted.fork.nevadaWashoe County Health District spokesman Phil Ulibarri says 18 of the 21 cases seem to be related to Twisted Fork Restaurant in south Reno. The restaurant’s general manager says it will remain voluntarily closed until an investigation is complete.

Authorities say health officials are working with Twisted Fork to determine the source and investigating food products, storage and preparation methods. The Health District says the restaurant is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Ulibarri says the health district was originally notified of eight E. coli cases on November 4.

Officials say these cases are not related to Chipotle restaurants or cases in el Dorado County.

Sushi can suck: Aussie shop found with cockroaches, temperature, cleanliness problems

A Woden sushi shop is facing hefty fines after health authorities uncovered a cockroach infestation, a dishwasher that was repeatedly recycling dirty water and an overheated display cabinet. 

sushiFood safety inspectors first raided the now-closed Sizzle Bento store in Woden Plaza in May 2011, finding a host of breaches that potentially put customers at risk. 

Cockroaches were seen in the food preparation area and gaps in the walls, ceilings and floors were said to be allowing the insects to crawl into the room.

The sushi display cabinet was being kept at warm temperatures of about 10 degrees, instead of the recommended five degrees or less, court documents said.

The kitchen and food preparation area was dirty and grease was building up on the ceiling, sprinklers, the fridge, and on floors.

Rice and other food was not being stored properly and the shop was warned not to store items in shopping bags, ice cream containers or plastic bins. 

A second inspection was conducted in September 9, 2011, and cleanliness and food storage problems were again detected.

The business had to be shut down temporarily due to drainage problems with the dishwasher, which prosecutors say were causing dirty water to be recycled through the machine, leaving dishes dirty and unsafe.

It was allowed to resume trading five days later. 

‘Highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene’ 56 sickened in Norovirus outbreak at UK bar

Fifty-six people who fell ill after attending functions at a bar in Bridgend county had the norovirus, it has been confirmed.

Hi-Tide bar in PorthcawlPublic Health Wales said the Hi-Tide bar in Porthcawl remains open after the outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting.

The outbreak has now been declared over.

A bar spokesman said: “We are confident that we provided, and will continue to provide, the very highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene.”

“We would like to wish all those affected a full and speedy recovery,” the spokesman added.

Tampa’s Authentic Mexican food restaurant receives over 50 violations in 5 months

Ismael Rivera loves the authentic Mexican dishes at Taco Rey Mexican Grill on 1441 East Fletcher Avenue in Tampa, eating there three times a week.

Taco Rey Mexican Grill“I got three tacos coming in with rice and beans. I got a whole meal coming in for the whole family,” Ismael said.

But Ismael had no idea the state found insects, crawling and flying near his family’s food.

“Yeah, I didn’t know that about them,” he admitted.

Our ABC Action News I-Team has discovered inspectors saw live and dead roaches in the reach-in cooler, on top of the freezer, and on floors, walls and boxes in October.

And ‘too many flies to count’ near produce along with over 50 more flies in other parts of the kitchen, according to the inspection report.

“That’s a little upsetting to hear that, since you figure that’s where you eating,” Ismael said.

And it’s not just bugs.

We’re just uncovering the state finding pork and eggs at dangerous temperatures that could make you sick.

Pork was sitting on the cook’s line at 84 degrees and raw shell eggs were left out at room temperature at 85 degrees.

Cold food should be 41 degrees or below and hot food should be 135 degrees or above.

So what’s management doing to fix the food safety issues?

ABC Action News anchor Wendy Ryan went to Taco Rey to find out.

“I wanted to talk to someone about your recent inspections from the state,” Ryan asked the employee at the front counter.

But that female employee said the manager and owner were not there and wouldn’t be back until the next day.

No one could answer to the 52 violations documented in the last 5 months, including employees thawing beef at room temperature, employees failing to wash their hands, plastic containers of lard on the floor along with to-go boxes, no proof of required employee training and black/green mold in the ice machine.

Fancy food ain’t safe food: Trump Steakhouse edition

A Las Vegas Strip restaurant bearing the initials of celebrity financier Donald Trump was briefly shut down after health inspectors found violations including month-old caviar and expired yogurt.

donald.trumpDJT, the signature steakhouse at the Trump International Hotel, reopened Nov. 2 with a restored “A” grade — several hours after Southern Nevada Health District officials logged 51 violations during a routine inspection.

Thirty violations merit a “C” grade, district spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said Friday.

Inspectors reported finding outdated, expired, unlabeled, mishandled and improperly stored food, according to a summary posted on the health district’s website. The closure was first reported by KTNV-TV as part of a “Dirty Dining” segment focused on area restaurants.

Inspectors found no measures to destroy parasites in undercooked halibut and salmon, and noted that raw tuna was being improperly thawed. Icicles were found in a faulty freezer.

Add food safety cards: Texas restaurant hands out rule cards instructing how kids should act

A restaurant is hoping to pre-empt unruly child behavior by giving parents with kids a rule card about proper table manners when they get seated.

cuchara_english-570x398Can diners have food safety cards they can hand to staff?

For the last few months, d, a Mexican restaurant located in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, has been handing out illustrated cards to families that come in to dine. The colourful card shows a happy family eating with text below that reads:

“Children at Cuchara don’t run or wander around the restaurant. They stay seated and ask their parents to take sthem to the rest room. They don’t scream, throw tantrums or touch the walls, murals, windows or other patrons. They are respectful!”

According to TV news service KHOU, the restaurant isn’t trying to discourage parents from bringing in their kids but they do want diners to be mindful of how their children behave.

The move comes after the restaurant suffered $1500 in damage six months ago, when a child scratched one of its walls featuring hand painted murals by Mexico City artist Cecilia Beaven.

So far, the restaurant says the reaction to the cards has been overwhelmingly positive.

Going public: Restaurant inspection disclosure makes Birmingham politician ‘sad’

Birmingham’s food safety chief has attacked the Birmingham Mail for highlighting takeaways which could be at risk of giving customers food poisoning.

barbara.dring.birminghamChairman of the council’s licensing and public protection committee Barbara Dring told colleagues she was ‘saddened’ that the list of 127 takeaways and restaurants with zero-ratings for food hygiene on October 28, 2015 was published by the Birmingham Mail.

The food hygiene ratings are given by council inspectors so that customers are aware which kitchens are clean and well run and which have been found to be dirty, selling out of date food, have cockroaches or rats or other problems.

The council then publishes the results online via the Food Standards Agency website after an undetermined period for any appeals to be lodged.

The principle is that bad takeaways and restaurants are named and shamed.

But Coun Dring (Oscott) said: “I find it sad that the newspaper wants to knock Birmingham in this fashion.

She said that a prosecution followed and the club was fined £1,200 and made to pay £800 costs.

Conservative councillor Gary Sambrook (Kingstanding) said: “Birmingham residents deserve to know what the outcome of food hygiene inspections are.

“It’s shocking to think that the city council wants to try and muzzle the press, so that residents aren’t clear on the hygiene ratings of their local takeaway.