Tucson Region

Food establishments had good month

All food establishments passed Pima County Health Department inspections in December, after a Midtown grocery store resolved an infestation of mice. Fry's Food Store at 2480 N. Swan Road in the Crossroads Festival shopping center was among the 10 establishments that were rated "Needs Improvement." Restaurants and food retailers are rated "Needs Improvement" when one or more critical violations are found that cannot be corrected immediately. The problems must be corrected within 10 days of the county inspection. During the initial inspection of the Fry's store, the inspector noted "evidence of rodents" in "many areas" of the store, including mouse droppings in the cereal aisle. In addition, dead mice were noted on "glueboards," or mouse traps, behind a freezer and the ovens in the bakery area. Meats in the deli area showed date labels that had expired by one to four days, and dishwashing equipment in the bakery area didn't reach the required temperature for sanitation. Establishments fail their inspections if there are five or more critical violations found during the inspection. Grocery deli, bakery and retail areas are scored and evaluated separately. There were four critical violations found in the Fry's deli area; two in the bakery; and one in the retail area of the store. Each of the three areas scored "Needs Improvement." Several steps were taken to resolve the problems at the Midtown store, said Jim Nygren, spokesman for Fry's Food Stores of Arizona, blaming the unsatisfactory conditions on negligence. "It was just oversights and people not paying attention to detail," Nygren said. The company has two employees to inspect food-safety conditions at 112 stores in Arizona. Nygren said the company will continue to inspect food-safety conditions at all of its stores but doesn't plan to give special attention to Pima County stores. An exterminator was hired to eliminate the rodent problem at the North Swan store, where employees were "retrained." Some of the other corrections made and notes from the follow-up inspection: ● Fresh glueboards, or mouse traps, were placed in several areas of the store. During the follow-up inspection, a dead mouse was observed on a board under the desk in the deli area. The inspector recommended that store employees check the glueboards daily to remove and replace as needed. ● The cereal aisle was free of droppings. ● A hand sink was made accessible and stocked with soap and paper towels. ● The entire deli area was thoroughly cleaned, according to the inspector, and the deli meats were properly date-marked. ● The entire bakery area was cleaned and clutter was reduced. Equipment was moved to keep the surrounding area clear of debris. The dishwashing machine reached required temperatures for sanitization.