OCR Text |
Show Health district inspects County restaurants To ensure that sanitary food is prepared and served, and that food and atmosphere meet the consumer's expectations, ex-pectations, the Uintah Basin District Health Department has been conducting conduc-ting food service inspections in the Basin w hich reveal unfavorable scores. Over the last month the average inspection in-spection report scores have not been good, Ed Riege, Uintah Basin Health Department, reported. The biggest problem pro-blem has been inadequate control of food temperature. It is the most common com-mon factor contributing to outbreaks of foodborne disease. The temperature danger zone for food is 45 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit which is most ideal for bacterial growth. To minimize this problem, the temperature of potentially hazardous food must be kept outside the danger zone when food is stored and quickly passed through the danger zone w hen the food is heated or cooled. Other common problems are uncleanliness, improper sanitization of utensils, and improper plumbing and construction. The district policy is to reinspect restaurants that receive scores below 80 percent. The restaurant is given a reasonable amount of time to comply, w hich is 30 days. If compliance has not been achieved, legal action may be taken. The restaurants that have been below 80 percent have been very cooperative with good effort, Riege said. A routine inspection will be performed at least once every six months. "A free service is offered that many people don't take advantage of," Riege said. Whenever a food service establishment establish-ment is constructed, remodeled, or an existing structure is converted to use as a food service establishment, the operator should arrange for a sanitarian to inspect the food service facilities to determine their compliance with these regulations. The cost factor involved in converting some buildings is not feasible. There are three registered sanitarians in the Basin: Lowell Card and Rand Webb in Vernal and Ed Riege in Roosevelt. |