Cockroaches, flies and old food debris: See latest Sacramento County health inspections

Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local grocery store after finding more than 50 cockroaches and numerous flies.

Two Sacramento restaurants received yellow placards for health code violations ranging from dirty towels and old food debris to “potentially hazardous foods” outside of proper holding temperatures.

A yellow placard signals two or more major violations, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide. These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection.

A red placard signals “imminent danger to public health and safety” and suspends the health permit until violations are corrected. This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination.

In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed the inspection.

The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee. About 1% of inspections result in a closure.

Health inspectors closed an East Sacramento restaurant on Aug. 7 due to safety violations, but it has since reopened.

Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Aug. 8 through Wednesday, as of noon Thursday:

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Sacramento Bee reporter Brianna Taylor at btaylor@sacbee.com. The Bee will publish weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.

Sacramento County health inspectors close grocery store

Soni’s Supermarket & Sarees, 7400 Elsie Ave., Suite B, in Sacramento, had 21 violations on Aug. 8.

Sacramento County health inspectors closed the Sacramento grocery store after discovering cockroaches and flies on Aug. 8.

More than 50 live cockroaches were found throughout the supermarket’s meat department including on walls, floors, counters and equipment and inside sinks and a mop bucket.

Inspectors also found numerous dead cockroaches on the floors, a counter and a wooden pallet.

There were cockroach egg sacs on a paper towel dispenser, the report said, as well as floors and walls.

Inspectors saw three dead flies inside the display cooler below the raw chicken and a dead fly in the preparation area in the meat department below a fly zapper.

Health inspectors also observed five live house flies throughout the facility and three drain flies near the mop sink.

Old food debris and dead vermin were next to open foods.

Inspectors instructed an employee to discard cheese outside of its proper holding temperature.

The meat department’s hand-washing station was blocked by a ladder and boxes at the time of inspection.

Employees lacked food safety knowledge including how to sanitize food contact surfaces and protect food from contamination.

The restaurant didn’t have a food safety certificate or state food handler cards at the time of inspection.

Inspectors ordered the removal of several packages of raw seafood because the supermarket couldn’t prove that they came from an approved source.

Raw food was being stored improperly and the hot water at two sinks was not up to code.

Dust had accumulated in the walk-in refrigerator, and soiled wipe clothes had no sanitizer on them.

Lastly, a box of pesticides and a fly zapper device were above sinks near open food.

The supermarket was reinspected on Tuesday and received a green placard.

When reached by The Sacramento Bee on Thursday afternoon, Soni’s Supermarket owner Ashneel Jeet declined to comment.

Sacramento coffee shop, restaurant cited for health violations

The following Sacramento County restaurants had violations the week of Aug. 8 through Wednesday, resulting in a conditional pass.

Only the dates of violations are listed. Most restaurants fully pass reinspection within 72 hours. The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, you can search the EMD website here.

Tupi Coffee, 1801 L St., Suite No. 60, in Sacramento, had seven violations on Monday.

Sacramento County health inspectors found “potentially hazardous foods” outside of proper holding temperatures including bread, half-and-half creamer and milk.

The liquids, the report said, were in a household refrigerator.

Inspectors found an assortment of household equipment in the coffee shop, including a blender, toaster oven and freezer.

There were “unprotected” paper towels available but no paper towel dispenser at either of the hand-washing stations, the report stated.

Customer utensils in the self-service area were stored face up instead of face down at the time of inspection.

The utensils for the espresso machine were incorrectly stored in room-temperature water, the report said, and the equipment did not have a sneeze guard.

Lastly, inspectors found numerous holes in the walls near the front prep area.

The coffee shop was reinspected on Tuesday and received a green placard.

Kabob Chutney Grill, 4403 Elkhorn Blvd. in Sacramento, had 18 violations on Aug. 9.

Sacramento County health inspectors found foods “unfit for human consumption” at the restaurant on Aug. 9, according to the report.

The restaurant was ordered to toss garbanzo beans and several chicken dishes because they were cooked the day before and cooled overnight.

“Potentially hazardous foods” must be rapidly cooled, according to California health code.

Raw seafood and beef were stored on top of ready-to-eat food in an upright freezer, the report said, and raw chicken was above raw lamb and ground beef.

Inspectors measured watermelon at nearly 10 degrees warmer than its allotted holding temperature.

Food was improperly stored on the floor and cloth towels were being dried on shelves dedicated to utensils.

Employees did not know how to properly handle food, wash restaurant utensils or disinfect their prep counter with sanitizer cloth towels.

The restaurant did not have a manager food safety certificate and employees with facial hair were not wearing nets.

Inspectors found old food debris throughout the kitchen, the report said, as well as dirty cloth towels on top of the prep counter.

There was a household microwave in the kitchen and unlabeled spray bottles throughout the facility.

The paper towel dispenser near the kitchen hand sink station was not working at the time of inspection.

Outside, inspectors found trash on the ground near a shared Dumpster area.

The restaurant was reinspected on Monday and received a green placard.

This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM.