Moldy mozzarella, bugs in liquor, mice at school | Oct. 4-10 restaurant inspections
Editor’s note: The Eagle is updating its out-of-compliance inspection database weekly this year. However, because the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed inspections, there may be no related story some weeks. You can search the database at www.kansas.com/databases.
Health inspectors found spoiled mint and mozzarella, a rodent infestation, employees skipping sanitation and other violations at three Sedgwick County businesses deemed out of compliance with state health rules between Oct. 4 and Oct. 10.
A list of the establishments — which includes two restaurants and a Wichita high school — appears below with a summary of the problems Kansas Department of Agriculture inspectors noted on their reports. You can read specifics by searching The Eagle’s non-compliant database at www.kansas.com/databases. This list was compiled Oct. 12.
More than 40 restaurants, schools and other businesses surveyed last week passed their inspections with few or no violations. You can see those at www.foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Violations are common and usually fixed immediately. Businesses fall out of compliance when they have a certain number or type of problem that can lead to foodborne illnesses or ones that can’t be corrected right away, such as plumbing issues and pest infestations. Follow-up inspections typically happen within 10 days.
To complain about conditions at a business, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.
Out of compliance inspections:
Hana Cafe Japanese Restaurant, 325 N. Mead in Wichita — Eleven violations for moldy mozzarella cheese, spoiled mint leaves, milk not marked with opening date, “heavily molded” sweet potatoes, dead bugs in a dozen liquor bottles, improper thawing procedures for tuna fish, improper food storage, no warning posted for customers about risks of consuming raw fish, chicken and eggs at unsafe temperatures, green onions and radishes stored in T-shirt bags instead of in food-safe containers, no food thermometer on site, employee didn’t sanitize dishes, chemicals not labeled
Menudos Nortenos, 2323 N. Broadway in Wichita — Seven violations for tamales and salsa not marked with preparation date, menudo stored in plastic T-shirt bags instead of food-safe containers, employee not sanitizing dishes, no hand drying supplies in men’s bathroom, chemicals not labeled, food including mayonnaise and cheese at unsafe temperatures
Wichita West High School, 820 S. Osage in Wichita — One violation for mice. Inspector found “approximately ten small rodent droppings in the back corner of the storage room” and there was also baby mouse seen in a store room
