HEALTH INSPECTIONS
At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance following food safety inspections conducted throughout April.
The county’s lone failed inspection came from a Japanese restaurant in downtown State College that produced violations concerning cleanliness, food temperatures and food safety.
More than 90 other Centre County establishments appear alphabetically in this story after passing inspections with few or no violations. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, no restaurants or establishments in the county failed their inspections in March.
Information regarding county establishments and their violations appears below in an alphabetical list with a summary of the problems inspectors noted in their respective reports. More details are available upon request by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s online database.
Business owners who wish to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com.
ABOUT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, eating and drinking establishments are inspected at least once per year. Some schools, including the State College Area School District, receive biannual inspections.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture may conduct additional inspections if complaints are received or if initial inspections are not up to code.
Most observed violations are minor in scope and are corrected during inspections, but some establishments may temporarily close if too many violations are found. Closures may occur as a result of other issues, including risks for foodborne illnesses or violations that take time to address, such as broken plumbing or pest infestations.
Most inspections in Centre County are conducted at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities directly conduct their health inspections through certified officials who fall under their jurisdiction. State College, for example, is responsible for performing inspections in the borough and in Ferguson, Patton and College townships, a borough official said.
Once inspections are complete and reports are published, you can browse them online by visiting pafoodsafety.state.pa.us/ web/inspection/ publicinspectionsearch.aspx. You can look up establishments by name or filter results to specific cities, counties and ZIP codes.
OUT-OF-COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS
Kokoro and Su Ji Chang Fen Dian,
404 E. Calder Way in State College — An April 11 routine inspection resulted in six total violations for this restaurant, most of which concerned food temperature control and cleanliness.
According to borough sanitarian Brian O’Donnell, the restaurant did not have hand sanitizer present and available for use in the establishment. O’Donnell’s report also claims he observed a cockroach on a refrigeration unit, prompting an order to start a pest control contract with a licensed pest management company.
Temperature checks during O’Donnell’s inspection found chicken held at 108 degrees Fahrenheit in a hot well, far below the 135-degree minimum as required by food safety guidelines. Partially cooked eggs were held at 70 degrees rather than 41 degrees or below, again as required by food safety regulations. O’Donnell observed beef thawing at room temperature in a sink, requiring the meat to be thrown away following prolonged exposure.
O’Donnell’s report claims an employee with proper food safety knowledge must be present in the restaurant during all hours of operation. No such person was present at the time of the inspection.
A follow-up inspection conducted April 12 returned Kokoro to compliance.
HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT CONDITIONS
If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint to catch officials’ attention.
To notify the commonwealth about questionable conditions anywhere food is served or sold to the public, call 1-866-3663723 or fill out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s food safety complaint form, available online at pda.pa.gov/FoodSafety Complaint/. The form asks for consumer information, facility details and a full description of each complaint.
You can also contact the commonwealth’s Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services directly by calling 717-787-4315 or emailing RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov.
Locally, you can report concerns to State College officials by calling 814-234-7100 or emailing healthdept@statecollegepa.us.