What's wrong with this picture?

These are actual photographs from different inspections in our county. Can you see what the problems are?

1. ↓ Everybody loves a video! Watch to the end …

2. ↓ Wow! This must be a busy seafood house! But is this the correct way to thaw all those shrimp?

3. ↓ I found this on a chair by the employee access area to the event's space.

4. ↓ How many violations can you find in this photo?

Answers:

1. ↓ PEST CONTROL

Many facilities have been closed for months, and some even an entire year or more. Unfortunately, while you were gone, some pests may have found their way into your facility.

This was a dead cockroach and indeed a tell-tale sign that there are likely more. Upon further investigation, we did discover many more roaches of all ages. First, we looked under the cover of the dishwasher's heater. Cockroaches love warm spots. When I lifted the cover, there was a scattering of primarily small young roaches. Additionally, there were empty dish racks stacked on the floor next to the heater. When we removed them, large and small cockroaches ran for cover.

A pest service was called and was out the next day and each week after that until all evidence of the pest infestation was gone.

2. THAWING

This is not the way to properly thaw frozen food. And like a house of cards, when these shrimp were touched they all fell down.

Here's the code from the Oregon Food Sanitation Rules.

Except as specified in ¶ (D) of this section, potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) shall be thawed:

(A) Under refrigeration that maintains the food temperature at 5oC (41oF) or less; or

(B) Completely submerged under running water:

(1) At a water temperature of 21oC (70oF) or below, (2) With sufficient water velocity to agitate and float off loose particles in an overflow, and (3) For a period of time that does not allow thawed portions of ready-to-eat food to rise above 5oC (41oF), or (4) For a period of time that does not allow thawed portions of a raw animal food requiring cooking as specified under ¶ 3-401.11(A) or (B) to be above 5oC (41oF), for more than 4 hours including:

(a) The time the food is exposed to the running water and the time needed for preparation for cooking, or

(b) The time it takes under refrigeration to lower the food temperature to 5oC (41oF);

(C) As part of a cooking process if the food that is frozen is:

(1) Cooked as specified under ¶ 3-401.11(A) or (B) or § 3-401.12, or (2) Thawed in a microwave oven and immediately transferred to conventional cooking equipment, with no interruption in the process; or

(D) Using any procedure if a portion of frozen ready-to-eat food is thawed and prepared for immediate service in response to an individual consumer's order.

3. IMPROPER STORAGE OF CHEMICALS

This one is pretty easy and sometimes pretty easy to overlook when you are busy or short-handed. This floor cleaner was likely stashed on the chair, and then the tray of condiments was placed on the only flat space someone could find at the moment.

This is a priority violation, potential contamination of food products by a chemical. All chemicals need a permanent place to be stored, typically on a bottom shelf away from food.

4. IMPROPER SEPARATION OF RAW PROTEINS

As you might imagine, this operator was surprised to see me walk in the door. We have been working to develop proper cooking techniques, but it looks like all food was just placed in the walk-in, and the door closed at the end of the day.

Some of the items we discussed were:

• improper storage of food (not the minimum of six inches off the floor)

• improper separation of raw proteins (raw meat stored on top of 'ready to eat' soy sauce)

• improper cooling (hot stocks placed into plastic buckets and put into the walk-in without prior cooling)

• Lack of date marking on TCS foods

• Lack of protection for cold sauces (ladle in the sauce without a lid overnight or longer)

• Broken floor tile in the very front of photo making it a no longer smooth and cleanable surface.