Each month the Harford County Health Department conducts routine inspections of 1,893 food service facilities (936 permanent food service facilities and 957 temporary food service facilities). Some pass, some fail. These are their stories…
Below are all the critical health inspection violations for Harford County in October 2011:
7-Eleven Store #11633
1818 Emmorton Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
7-Eleven Store #32271
1302 Churchville Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
Abingdon Elementary School
399 Singer Road
Abingdon, MD 21009
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Bob Evans Farms, Inc. #295
14 Bel Air South Parkway
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be adequately reheated to the appropriate temperature.
Boston Market #939
600 Marketplace Drive
Bel Air, MD 21014
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be properly cooled.
Chesapeake Grill
913 Pulaski Highway
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
Violations: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
China Moon
1321 Riverside Parkway
Belcamp, MD 21017
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Daily Grind
510 Upper Chesapeake Drive
Bel Air, MD 21014
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Forest Hill Elementary School
2407 Rocks Road
Forest Hill, MD 21050
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Frank’s Pizza
37 West Belair Avenue
Aberdeen, MD 21001
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
Grand China Buffet
5 Bel Air South Parkway, Suite 1559
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violations: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
High’s #63
4 Bel Air South Parkway
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
High’s #81
1230 Main Street
Darlington, MD 21034
Violation: Food must be protected from contamination, spoilage and adulteration.
Klein’s Shoprite Riverside #246
1321 Riverside Parkway
Riverside, MD 21017
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
Laurrapin Grille
209 North Washington Street
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Pizza Hut – Forest Hill
5 Newport Drive
Forest Hill, MD 21050
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Pretzel Twister
Harford Mall
Bel Air, MD 21014
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
Prospect Mill Elementary School
100 Prospect Mill Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Southampton Middle School
1200 Moores Mill Road
Bel Air, MD 21014
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Subalicious
1321 Bel Air Road
Bel Air, MD 21014
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper hot temperature.
Wendy’s #98
987 Beards Hill Road, Aberdeen
Aberdeen, MD 21001
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Wings N Pies
625 B Edgewood Road
Edgewood, MD 21040
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
Youth’s Benefit E.S.-Primary Bld.
1901 Fallston Road
Fallston, MD 21047
Violation: Potentially hazardous food must be held at proper temperature. Food must be held at proper cold temperature.
The full food facility inspection report is available here.
Four schools and 3 of them are elementary schools? Wow! Why can’t HCPS keep our kids safe even in the food service operation? Do they have any comment? Is someone being suspended?
Because HCPS is in the business of dictating policy, not following policy, not complying with petty things like ethics, courtesy, respect or basic consideration. It’s the way of insensitive administration. Lower your expectations, I do, every day, starting when I wake up.
Well, I see things haven’t changed since I left them.
Wow, really?!?!? This is scary! The Chinese joints didn’t surprise me, but Elementary Schools?!!?!?!? That is crazy!
keep in mind that every violation listed is a temerature violation. not cleanliness issues or vermin issues or hygiene issues. also be reminded that Maryland and Harford County have stricter guidelines than required by national standards.
not that i am making excuses for any of those violations, they could be much worse. I used to manage several restaurants in harford and baltimore counties, and i know how strict the inspectors often are; and that is a good thing. but to immediately attack HCPS for a few violations seems even harsher. for all we know, the fridge may have been acting up and was measured at 40 F, which is unacceptable per health inspector standards. maybe the mashed potatoes were only 163 F, another minor violation.
in the grand scheme of things, i doubt that there is anything to be overly concerned about. those of us who have served in the food service industry view these as common occurances that easily and quickly remedied.
so we all just need to calm down a little bit.
Jeffery Beck
You guys are so quick to judge about HCPS. It was probably the ice that the salad dressings are housed in started to melt. That is what happened at my school last year. If it was something horrible, you would have read about it in the Aegis like everything else in Harford Co.
Sorry, P-MILL PRIDE, but I don’t read the Aegis much. It has a tendency to degrade my mental acuity.
So, P-MILL PRIDE, I should just go back to sleep because the Health Department thinks the issue is serious enough to issue a citation but you say “not to worry, it’s no big deal”. Not sure whether we have a Health Department that isues citations that are “no big deal” or whether we have an HCPS supporter that wants to ignore everything that should perhaps be receiving attention if it has anything to do with HCPS. Do we believe you or the Health Department? And did the $10K money that was ‘lost’ ever show up yet?
You know, it would be a little more believable if HCPS would tell people whether or not they are concerned and if they are concerned what they are going to do about it rather than just blowing off the entire situation. Or do they not feel like they have any obligation to aprents and to the general public?
I’m pretty sure the words “not to worry, it’s no big deal” weren’t typed in my response. I stated that working in a school, I know what a cold temp violation could be. It is a mild violation. No kitchen was shut down.
I was also being sarcastic about what I had said about the Aegis. I’m assuming you have no sense of humor, hence your response.
I wrote a check for my child’s fieldtrip, so I didn’t lose the money taken from Patterson because they couldn’t cash my check.
HCPS isn’t “blowing off” anything. I think you are just stirring up trouble where none exists.
Oaky, fair enough. I shoudn’t have put quotes around a paraphrase of my interpretation of what you said.
So, what has HCPS said to the public and/or the parents of children in the 5 schools that were cited? Anything? Since you work in the school maybe you could enlighten those of us who don’t work there what HCPS has said.
If it doesn’t endanger the child, they do not have to respond or notify parents. I honestly can say that I believe it was the ice melting in the container that holds the salad dressings. If it was something more, they would notify parents and/or the entire kitchen would be shut down. The cold temps are the most minor of violations. If it had to do with items that could actually spoil during the lunch time frame which normally ranges 2-3 hours, it would be a major violation.
Let’s get the facts straight and leave the opinions out.
1. Four schools were cited with violations. None of these schools had “critical” violations that would cause the school to close, the food to harm or kill students or cause for health department follow-up.
2. A restaurant/kitchen/school/gas station is cited for “temperature violations” ANYTIME a hot or cold food is out of the safe holding temperature. Unfortunately, the health department doesn’t take TIME into consideration. A food isn’t considered dangerous until it has sat in the danger zone (40 degrees to 140 degrees) for longer than 2 hours. Guess what??? Most lunch periods are less than 2 hours.
3. Rather than pointing fingers at HCPS and placing blame on them, has ANYONE contacted the local health department and asked them WHY their rules are stricter than any other county in the entire state of MD?????
4. Unless you are knowledgable about food safety, temperatures, COMAR regulations, HCPS and the Health Department, then really you don’t have all of the FACTS!
To be clear, these ARE the “critical health inspection violations” – at least by Harford County Health Department standards.
The full food facility inspection report, which contains many more establishments that were visited and not found at fault, can be found via the link at the end of the story.
FED UP,
Well I have enough facts to know the following:
1. There were 5 schools not the 4 you stated.
2. The school system has chosen to publicly ignore these problems. I’m not sure what, if anything, they are doing in private since they seemingly don’t feel that they have any responsibility to make a statement to the parents of the children who go to those 5 schools concerning why the food service that HCPS operates has received violations and what is being done about it.
3. I know that HCPS is aware of the rules and has agreed to follow them but in the case of these 5 schools has not.
4. I don’t know, but am willing to take your word for it, that Harford County has more stringent rules than other jurisdictions. But I don’t know what difference tha makes. Is that now an excuse for the violations?
I feel better now that my tax $$$ are spent to keep the children safe and healthy. If these violations are minor in nature, they why are the published? Major violators are given the same punishment as minor violators? Well, at least they are not discriminating against the little food stablishments and go after the school cafeteria just the same. Just imagine if the inspectors actually ate the food, what would be the grade?
I don’t want to make light of the potential significance of these citations, but keep in mind too that while the Health Department must cite them, they can very often be minor warnings. Again, I don’t know the facts of individual notices so I will only comment where I have knowledge. I know the extent to which HCPS Food Service employees work to keep to the Health Department guidelines so I’d equate this report to one of your better students missing a homework assignment. While it would not be ignored, depending on the reason, circumstances and history, I’m not likely to be terribly concerned.
It may sound strange or foreign but I can remember a time when I went to school and you could smell home cooked food being cooked by real cooks. The most amazing thing was the food was good for you and tasted good. I must be getting old like historic.