THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1999

Campus eateries receive violations

By Ken Hanson

On-Line Forty-Niner

After nearly three months of inspection, the results are in. Food services at Cal State Long Beach were inspected by the City of Long Beach Health and Human Services and more than half were issued violations.

The department found 19 of the 25 permitted facilities on campus violating one or more health codes. According to HHS officials, all violations have been corrected.

The department conducted the inspections on different days between February and April.

Violations at Shaka's, King Taco and The Blue Marble Cafe ranged from improper cleaning of pots, pans and utensils to dirty floors and equipment.

The department found Shaka's had dirty, greasy floors under the deep fryer, did not providing paper towels and soap for the hand sink and had not properly cleaned pots and pans. The condition of the kitchen prompted the inspector to leave instructions on how to wash dishes.

Department inspectors also served a final notice to Shaka's in November 1998 to clean floors and walls as well as the inside of the ice machine. A month earlier, the department had also issued a violation because employees of the restaurant were storing pots and pans on the kitchen floor.

Conditions at The Blue Marble Cafe also garnered violations. The department inspected the coffee shop on Feb. 5 and found improperly cleaned pots, pans, and utensils, a rusting ice machine, and food spills on the door tracks under the soda machine. HHS also said that the coffee shop needed to install a thermometer on the milk refrigerator and to clean the can opener of leftover food debris.

King Taco also was issued a citation for improperly cleansed utensils. Other violations included improper food temperature control, lack of hot, pressurized water, and build-up of food debris.

The Parkside Commons dining hall was warned to keep temperatures for the salad bar and other cold foods below 41 degrees. The Residence Hall cafeteria was told to keep hot food above 140 degrees after finding a pot of soup at 105 degrees.

The Beach Hut snack bar near University Library was found in violation of not having hot water in the hand-washing sink, using dirty spigots on the soda machines and not having a thermometer on the hot food holding bins. The snack bar was also temporarily closed in 1998 for not having a valid health permit.

Other food service facilities that were issued notices to correct possible health code violations included: The Outpost, Panda Express, The Chart Room, Taco Bell, The Pyramid concession stands, the Forty-Niner Shops, Inc. warehouse, Carl's Jr., Subway, A La Mode, The Nugget, the food carts outside of the University Library and the food carts outside the College of Business building.

The department did not find any violations in six of the campus food-service facilities. The food carts outside of Brotman Hall, FO-3, the University Student Union Convenience Store, The Book Store Convenience Store, and the USU Candy Bar were given clean bills of health on the original date of inspection.

The facilities that were issued warnings were given two weeks to correct all violations. If violations are not fixed by then, a second warning and a $75 fine are issued.

The restaurants should be inspected four times a year, but according to city health department files, several of the facilities have only been inspected once in the past year.

After the inspections, restaurants are issued summary reports that are posted within five feet of the front door, said Jackie Hampton, an environmental health specialist.