Berks food safety inspections found old blood in a chicken prep area

Feb. 16—Berks County is divided into three jurisdictions: Reading, Muhlenberg Township and the rest of the county. Reading and Muhlenberg Township have their own food safety inspectors and the rest of the county is inspected by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspectors.

The results will be posted every other week. All food vendors are inspected at least once a year. Other inspections can be triggered by a change of owner, a follow up if a facility had been out of compliance or by a complaint filed with the PDA.

View any vendor's last inspection report online. Click on the PDF version of the inspection report for all details.

If a food provider is labeled out of compliance, that means it has one or more violations that require a return visit by an inspector. The establishment is given time to fix the problem(s) and remains open for business.

Complaints can be filed online with the PDA.

Below are the results of inspections conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 13, 2024, that were filed in the state database as of Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.

Berks

AMC Berkshire 8, 800 Berkshire Blvd., Wyomissing, Feb. 12: one violation. Observed a build-up of food residue on the non-food contact surface of the milk shake maker. Corrected. Observed a build-up of food residue on the non-food contact surface of the self-serve butter dispensers (4). Corrected. Observed a build-up of food residue on the non-food contact surfaces of the soda machines (4). Corrected.

Exeter Fitness & Training, 4270 Perkiomen Ave., Reading, Feb. 9: two violations. Food dispensing utensil in bulk dry ingredients observed stored in the food and not with handle above the top of the food and the container. Corrected. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration.

Russo Foods And Market, 1150 Bern Road, Wyomissing, Feb. 9: three violations. Observed deeply scored cutting boards not resurfaced or discarded as required. Observed the filter of the hood ventilation above the grill, in the pizza area, with an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, debris on non-food contact surfaces.Soap was not available at the handwash sink in the dishwashing area. Corrected.

Firehouse Coffee, 15877 Kutztown Road, Maxatawny, Feb. 8: no violations.

Kempton Hotel, 9910 Kistler Valley Road, Kempton, Feb. 8: no violations.

Raceway Kempton, 2403 B Route 143, Kempton, Feb. 8: three violations. Thermometer for ensuring proper temperature of equipment is not available or readily accessible in small reach in refrigerator holding pre packaged sandwiches. Food facility has an employee who held a Certified Food Manager certificate; however, the certificate has expired and is no longer valid. Unisex restroom is not provided with a covered waste receptacle.

Blue Mountain Academy, 2363 Mountain Road, Hamburg, Feb. 7: no violations.

Dollar Tree #5139, 1780 Tilden Ridge Drive, Hamburg, Feb. 7: one violation. Observed several aisle displays stored directly on the floor in customer retail area, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required.

Redner's Market #26, 5473 Pottsville Pike Leesport, pa19533, Feb. 7: two violations.Observed several large bags of popcorn stored directly on the floor in the beer cafe area, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. Corrected. Observed water dripping from one of the condenser fans in the meat walk-in cooler. There is a large accumulation of ice on the ceiling of the bakery walk-in freezer.

Rico Casa Fort Inn, 1343 Hex Hwy Hamburg, pa19526, Feb. 7: no violations.

Target #1222, 2769 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, Feb. 7: one violation. Observed dried milk residue on the shelves and front surface of the customer self-service dairy case.

Village Tavern, 63 N Center Ave., Leesport, Feb. 7: no violations.

Giant Food #6289, 2104 Van Reed Road, West Lawn, Feb. 6: eight violations. Severely dented, swollen, distressed canned items observed on salesfloor are and intended for use or sale in the food facility. Removed from shelves. Also found expired cans of baby formula, removed from shelves. Prep table equipment, in deli-produce prep area, has non-food contact surfaces exposed to splash, spillage, or other food soiling. Prep tables had paper lined on shelves, not a cleanable surface. Milk cooler floor at front of case doors observed with spilled dried milk debris. Raw chicken room prep area had old blood observed on the floor in the corners. Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. Customer area shelves in produce area observed with slight mold build up. Floor corners in proofer in the bakery area was observed with mold build up, also stagnant water build up under floor of proofer. Floor drain under bakery dishwasher observed with grease sludge build-up. Observed clean food equipment and/or utensils in produce prep area, stored with handles down. Meat and bakery departments have clogged floor drains that are filled with stagnant water. Outside dock area was observed to have excessive trash around the perimeter of the building and attracting insects and rodents. Waste receptacle for disposable paper towels not provided at the handwashing sink in seafood and deli area. Bakery ceiling vent and customer milk case vents area of the food facility is extremely dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning.

Hissho Sushi At Giant #6289, 2104 Van Reed Road, West Lawn, Feb. 6: one violation. Torn rubber door gaskets observed on the reach-in cooling unit.

Taipei Chinese Kitchen Inc, 2104 Van Reed Road, West Lawn, Feb. 6: three violations. Torn rubber door gaskets observed on the Reach-in cooler unit in the cookline area. Observed large bulk bin equipment, in prep area, with an accumulation of food residue, debris on handle of non-food contact surfaces. Floor in walk-in cooler not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. Excessive debris observed under the shelves.

American Legion Post 626, 445 E Main St., Birdsboro, Feb. 5: one violation. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration.

Dollar General #15584, 100 Chestnut St. Unit A Birdsboro, pa19508, Feb. 5: one violation. Women's restroom is not provided with a covered waste receptacle.

Turkey Hill #308, 320 N. Furnace St., Birdsboro, Feb. 5: three violations. There is a gap between the mop sink and the walk-in cooler wall that is no longer sealed properly. Floor in the back area near the mop sink has damaged/missing tiles and is no longer a smooth, easily cleanable surface. The floor / wall juncture at the back door near the women's restroom is not coved and closed to 1/32 inch due to missing coving tiles.

Vinnie's Pizza, 207 N Furnace St., Birdsboro, Feb. 5: two violations. Thermometer for ensuring proper temperature of equipment is not available in the small Coke refrigerator used to store containers of dressing. The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view.

Bake Shop At Skyline Drive Orchard, 118 Skyline Drive, Reading, Feb. 2: no violations.

Bar Cart, 713 Penn Ave., West Reading, Feb. 2: one violation. Food facility does not have the correct sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration at the 3-compartment sink.

Ferrara's Trattoria LLC Mff4 Xpt1614,, 5704 Allentown Pike, Feb. 2: no violations.

Fork And Ale Inc., 1281 Main St., Douglassville, Feb. 2: four violations. Observed 3 deeply scored cutting boards not resurfaced or discarded as required. The soda wand dispenser at the bar and the soda dispenser at the server's station, food contact surfaces, were observed to have food residue and were not clean to sight and touch. Corrected. Observed a build-up of a pink residue on the non-food contact surfaces of the ice machine. Corrected. Observed a build-up of old food residue on the pre-rinse nozzle for the ware-wash machine, a non-food contact surface. Corrected. The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view.

King Mandarin Wok, 2906 St Lawrence Ave., Reading, Feb. 2: five violations. Observed in-use cleaver stored between table edges, an area not easily cleaned & sanitized. Corrected. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Observed an accumulation of dirt/debris/grease/old food residue on the floors and some shelving throughout the kitchen, including the floor in the walk-in cooler. Food facility inspection indicates evidence of rodent and insect activity in the kitchen areas. Facility needs to increase the frequency of their pest control program. Working container (spray bottle) in kitchen area, used for storing chemicals, cleaners taken from bulk supplies, was not marked with the common name of the chemical. Corrected.

Texas Roadhouse, 2803 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, Feb. 2: two violations. Thermometer for ensuring proper temperature of equipment is not available or readily accessible the small bain marie in the server area. Corrected. A working container (spray bottle) of cleaner / sanitizer was stored on the counter with food items at the cooking line. Corrected.

Utopia Cabaret, 395 W. Ben Franklin Highway, Douglassville, Feb. 2: no violations.

Valentino's, 15492 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, Feb. 2: seven violations. Observed in-use knives stored between counter and plastic wrap box, an area not easily cleanable & sanitized. frozen bags of chicken observed thawing in warm standing water in the prep sink, which is not an approved thawing method. Corrected. Time in lieu of temperature being used in the food facility to control ready to eat potentially hazardous foods without written procedures or documentation to verify disposition of food.Corrected. Food facility does not have available chlorine sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Observed shelving equipment, in the walk-in cooler area, with an accumulation of dust on non-food contact surfaces. wall, in the cookline area, is made of chipped plaster and is not durable, smooth, non-porous, non-absorbent. Must be repaired. Rear door located in the kitchen area of the food facility has a gap and does not protect against the entry of insects, rodents, and other animals.

Virginville Grange, 456 Main St., Virginville, Feb. 2: no violations.

Brick House Pub, 1348 Brooke Blvd., Kenhorst, Feb. 1: four violations. Raw animal foods (pork) were stored above ready to eat foods in the walk in cooler. corrected. Salmon packs observed thawing at room temperature on the cook line, which is not an approved thawing method. Corrected. Floor in walk in cooler has some food debris under the shelves. Observed single-service, single-use articles stored in cook line area which were not in the original protective package and not covered or inverted.

Dollar General Store #13403, 226 E. Penn Ave., Robesonia, Feb. 1: no violations.

J&S Pizza, 360 Midway Road, Bethel, Feb. 1: no violations.

Olive Garden #1525, 1700 Crossing Drive, Wyomissing, Feb. 1: no violations.

Original Mama's Pizza, 1814 State Hill Road, Wyomissing, Feb. 1: three violations. Thermometers for ensuring proper temperature of equipment are not available or readily accessible in the two bain marie units. Corrected. Food facility does not have the correct sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Observed an accumulation of loose dust on the ceiling in front of the pizza ovens, above the sandwich bain marie, and on the chains used to hang shelving/store clean equipment.

Rise Up Nutrition, 715 Penn Ave., West Reading, Feb. 1: two violations. Food facility does not have the correct type of sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration at the 3-compartment sink. A working container (spray bottle) of cleaner / sanitizer was stored hanging on the same shelf with food items in the front area. Corrected.

Special Occasions By Panevino, 600 E. Penn Ave. Unit 1, Wernersville, Feb. 1: one violation. Food facility has an employee who held a Certified Food Manager certificate; however, the certificate has expired and is no longer valid.

Takkii Ramen, 36 N. Sixth Ave. Rear, West Reading, Feb. 1: no violations.

Weis Markets #181, 552 State St., Hamburg, Feb. 1: no violations.

Deep Roots Valley Farm, 1047 Irish Creek Road, Mohrsville, Jan. 31: no violations.

Heritage of Green Hills, 200 Tranquility Lane, Reading, Jan. 31: six violations. Sandwich bain marie in dining room counter area has salads with major allergen that was behind other food items possibly allowing for potential cross over contamination. Salad moved to front of display. Mechanical warewashing equipment had a lime buildup observed inside and on exterior wash bin areas. Detergent dispenser tubing line is broken and not dispensing soap into the machine. Machine shut down and manual warewashing sinks set up. Observed broiler equipment, in cook line area, with an accumulation of dust, dirt and cobwebs on handle area in front, a non-food contact surface. Also grease and food debris spilled under cook line area. Food facility person in charge does not have records to demonstrate routine inspection and service of backflow prevention devices and other water treatment devices. Filters for coffee and ice machines in dining room counter area have not been maintained since 2021. Ceiling vent and wall area of the soda fountain table of the food facility is extremely dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning. Some flooring in the kitchen and corners of flooring have a heavy dirt/grease build up and must be cleaned.

Heritage of Green Hills Health Care Building, 400 Tranquility Lane, Reading, Jan. 31: four violations. Sink / drainboard in the warewashing area, does not allow for self-draining as evidenced by pooling water. Food facility does not have correct available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Observed clean food equipment and/or utensils in clean rack area, stored wet in a manner that does not allow for draining and/or air drying (wet nesting). Automatic faucet on hand sink in front counter serving area is not functioning properly. GFI outlet tripping, must be repaired.

Hotel Stony Run, 2409 Route 737, Kempton, January 31: no violations.

Muhlenberg Township

None recorded.

Reading

None recorded.

UPDATES

The following reports for the period of Jan. 17 to Jan. 30, 2024, were added to the state's database after Feb. 1 and did not appear in the previous Berks food safety report.

Berks

Berkshire Country Club Temp Kitchen Trailer, 1637 Bernville Road, Reading, Jan. 30: no violations.

New Holland Food Mart, 1660 New Holland Road, Reading, Jan. 30: one violation. Prepackaged sandwiches, a refrigerated ready to eat time/temperature control for safety food, in the reach in case area, was not compliant with datemarking by being labeled with a discard or use by date of no more than 7 days. All sandwiches must be date marked in case, one sandwich package was bulged and discarded.

Penn Werner Hotel, 5 E. Penn Ave., Wernersville, Jan. 30: two violations. The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view. Ceiling in kitchen grill area has peeling paint that must be repaired. Flooring in kitchen is peeled painted cement with large missing section that must be repaired to be smooth, easy to clean, non-porous surfaces.

Wyo West Fitness, 1119 Bern Road, Wyomissing, Jan. 24: no violations.