Greene County food inspections find mouse droppings, unsafe food handling practices

A Greene County food inspector found mouse droppings in an area Chinese restaurant, while another inspection revealed a grocery store was re-packaging meat without a hand sink available.

According to the report, Lucky Star Chinese Restaurant in Ash Grove had mouse droppings in its kitchen and dry storage area, and is set to have a re-inspection on or before Jan. 4. The owner of Seoul Oriental Market in Springfield agreed not to repackage meat until they can install a hand sink in the re-packaging area.

Food inspections take place one to three times a year, depending on the type of food served, the population served, difficulty of food preparation and past history. Restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often "than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as popcorn and soda," according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

Issues found during inspection fall into either priority or non-priority violations. Priority violations impact the safety of the food, such as cross contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food, improper food temperature and poor personal hygiene and employee health. Multiple priority violations can lead to an establishment being shut down. Non-priority violations alone do not directly affect food safety, such as dirty floors, sticky tabletops or outside trash cans not being covered.

Here are more of the food inspections from this past week:

Braum's Ice Cream No. 193, 3020 E. Sunshine St., Springfield. Dec. 28 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted at time of inspection.

El Charro Mexican Restaurant, 1688 E. US Highway 60 East, Republic. Dec. 23 re-inspection – Result: active. Priority items corrected. All foods held at proper temperatures and all foods properly date marked. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Hoods Phillips 66, 1651 S. State Highway K, Bois d'Arc. Dec. 27 routine inspection – Result: active. Discussed proper storage of wet mops between uses. Two priority violations: Observed not sanitizing utensils before use, corrected at time of inspection by education given; observed bottle of sanitizer tablets not labeled, corrected.

Hoods Restaurant, 1651 S. State Highway K, Bois d'Arc. Dec. 27 re-inspection – Result: active. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Jeanie's Restaurant, 1692 E. US Highway 60 East, Republic. Dec. 23 routine inspection – Result: active. Discussed proper testing procedure for sanitizer at three-compartment sink. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Jimmy's Egg, 3837 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Dec. 23 complaint inspection – Result: active. No violations noted at time of inspection

Lucky Star Chinese Restaurant, 200 E. Boone St., Ash Grove. Dec. 28 routine inspection – Result: permitted with reinspection. A reinspection will be made on or after Jan. 4 to check for compliance. Ice scoop, if stored in ice bin must be placed in ice so that handle does not touch the drink ice. Three priority violations: Observed blade on can opener was coated with old food debris; observed one large plastic bowl had a hole melted through it and needs to be discarded; observed several mouse droppings were on the floor of kitchen and dry storage area. Must clean up area and take actions to minimize mice. Three non-priority violations: Observed hole in the wall beside soda storage rack, which need to be filled in so mice can't enter facility in that area; observed ceiling leaking near women's restroom; observed floors in kitchen, waitress area and restroom were not clean.

Mama Locas Cafe, 111 W. Main St., Ash Grove. Dec. 28 routine inspection – Result: active. There were two bags of mozzarella cheese that were discarded by staff, due to a little mold. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pasta, 2445 N. Kansas Expressway, Springfield. Dec. 27 re-inspection – Result: active. All violations, except for cleaning around the 2 vat sink had been corrected. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Price Cutter Plus No. 52 Meat/Seafood, 2021 W. Republic St., Springfield. Dec. 27 inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed open cooler holding potentially hazardous foods in system D-7 area. One non-priority violation: Observed build-up of lime and debris in three-vat sink located in meat-cutting room.

Price Cutter Plus No. 52 Meat/Seafood, 2021 W. Republic St., Springfield. Dec. 29 re-inspection – Result: active. Open cooler on system D-7 is now holding potentially hazardous foods below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, priority item corrected. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Three-compartment sink in meat-cutting room still has build-up of debris or lime. Manager agrees to send picture of cleaned sinks today.

Qdoba Mexican Grill, 4127 S. Kansas Expressway, Springfield. Dec. 28 suspended permit re-inspection – Result: approved. Approved to open. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Seoul Oriental Market, 3165 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Dec. 28 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed re-packaging of food occurring in a facility without a hand sink available in re-packaging area. Owner agrees to stop re-packaging until hand sink is installed. Four non-priority violations: 1. Observed ware washing three-compartment sink is not clean. Sink should be clean and set up easily to wash, rinse and sanitize items such as scale pieces, etc. 2. Observed no test strips available for sanitizer. 3. Observed pre-packaged foods stored in boxes on floor in front of shelves. Store food at least six inches off floor. Discussed solutions such as using plastic crates, etc. that are available in store. 4. Observed fish re-packaged on-site not labeled and various meats missing identity of food. Labels should include: common name of food; list of ingredients in descending order of weight predominance if made from two or more ingredients; quantity of contents; name and place of manufacturer, packer or distributor; the name of the food source for each major food allergen, etc. See Missouri Food Code for full details.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 3811 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Dec. 27 re-inspection – Result: active. Prep cooler and double reach-in cooler now holding below 41 degrees. Items corrected. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Walmart Supercenter No. 1009 Deli, 1150 E. US Highway 60 East, Republic. Dec. 22 routine inspection – Result: active. Discussed requirement for chickens that will be cooled to be held at 135 degrees or above during hot holding and discussed service animal issues. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Walmart Supercenter No. 1009 Deli, 1150 E. US Highway 60 East, Republic. Dec. 27 re-inspection – Result: active. Priority items corrected. All foods held at proper temperatures. No violations noted at time of inspection.

West Bypass Eagle Stop, 3459 W. Division St., Springfield. Dec. 27 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Seven non-priority violations: Observed staff unable to locate their chlorine test strips; observed package of frozen sausage being thawed at room temperature; observed several boxes of single-service items sitting on floor in dry storage and back rooms; observed boxes of food sitting on floors of walk-in refrigerator and freezer; observed "On The Fly" sandwiches in refrigerated section and hot hold units both lack ingredient labels; observed plastic spoons in self-service area had handles pointing both directions; observed soda nozzles on fountain drinks were not clean.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Mouse droppings among findings of Greene County food inspections