CLARK KAUFFMAN Iowa Capital Dispatch
State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations this past month, including moldy taco meat, beef marked “Not For Sale,” long-expired milk, and unskilled workers preparing sushi that failed to meet minimum safety standards.
One Des Moines food store was found to be importing fish directly from Thailand, which meant that none of it went through the usual process of being inspected and certified as safe. At the same store, whole chickens from an unknown, unlabeled source were being sold to the public.
The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, stores, schools, hospitals and other businesses over the past four weeks.
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The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a “snapshot” in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment. For a more complete list of all inspections, along with additional details on each of the inspections listed below, visit the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals’ website.
Fujisan Sushi at Sam’s Club, 305 Airport Road, Ames – During a Nov. 16 visits, a state inspector cited the establishment for food that was holding just above the maximum temperature of 41 degrees, including tempura shrimp at 42 degrees and crab at 43 degrees.