Health violations close 6 Fresno food places until problems are fixed. Here’s the list

A boba tea shop in northeast Fresno was shut down by Fresno County health inspectors in early July for operating without a permit and having an unpermitted ventilation hood. It remains closed until those issues are fixed.

My Special Tea, at 8951 N. Cedar Ave., is one of six businesses that were fully or partially closed on a temporary basis in July after visits by inspectors from the Fresno County Department of Public Health. The other five have since reopened after resolving issues ranging from a lack of hot water to pest infestations.

A July 7 inspection at the tea shop determined that the operator did not have a permit from the county health department. The inspector from the county’s Environmental Health Division also found that a kitchen ventilation hood was installed without a permit. The report requires that the business have a licensed contractor remove the hood before going through a plan check.

Each of the other five businesses with violations from July inspections have since reopened:

• At Sunnyside High School in southeast Fresno, a lack of hot water at two sinks prompted a closure following a July 14 inspection visit. The cafeteria was cleared to reopen on July 20.

• The restaurant and bakery inside the popular Whole Foods Market in the Fig Garden Village shopping center at Shaw and Palm avenues in northwest Fresno were temporarily closed along with part of the market itself after a July 14 inspection revealed a lack of hot water throughout the facility. Following a reinspection, those areas reopened the next day.

• A lack of hot water also closed Genji Sushi, an eatery located inside the Whole Foods store, on July 14. The restaurant reopened the following day after the issue was solved.

• A July 20 inspection at the Michoacan Meat Market, 508 N. Van Ness Ave. in central Fresno, caused a temporary closure because of a pest infestation and floor sinks that were not properly draining. After those problems were solved, the store was allowed to reopen the next day, July 21.

• At the Fast N Esy #25 convenience store, 7213 N. Ingram Ave. in northwest Fresno, a July 21 inspection found a lack of hot water at a mop sink and at a three-compartment sink that prompted a partial closure of the store. Water also was not draining properly from the three-compartment sink. The store was allowed to fully reopen later the same day.

A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations inspectors from the Department of Public Health find when they make their routine visits to restaurants and other food and drink establishments. Hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees is considered important by inspectors for safely washing pots, pans, dishes and glasses as well as for employees to wash their hands.

Insect or vermin infestations are another type of violation that can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by Fresno County health inspectors. Among other serious concerns for food safety are refrigerators that don’t keep food cold enough or steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth, or clogged sinks or drains that cause contaminated water to back up into kitchens.

In most instances, if an inspector finds a problem, it’s something that can be fixed on the spot – issues like having enough bleach or sanitizer in the water used to wipe down food-preparation areas, putting lids back onto containers in walk-in refrigerators, replenishing soap, paper towels and toilet paper in the restrooms, or reminding employees to wash their hands and wear gloves and hairnets.

When inspectors visit a restaurant or other food service business, there is a lengthy and detailed list of more than 50 things that draw their scrutiny. They include:

• Whether the manager and all employees have the required food safety or food-handling certificates.

• Hygiene of individual employees.

• Ways to keep cold food at or below 41 degrees and hot food above 135 degrees.

• Use of proper sterilization for counters, tables, utensils and cookware.

• Overall cleanliness.

• Proper drainage of sinks and floor drains.

• Restrooms stocked with supplies.

• Whether the business has the proper license or permit.

Fresno County makes its restaurant inspection reports publicly available at fresnohealthinspections.org, but some of the more recent inspection reports have yet to appear on the site.