Berks food safety inspections found dirty, soiled equipment and surfaces

Apr. 12—Berks County is divided into three jurisdictions: Reading, Muhlenberg Township and the rest of the county. Reading and Muhlenberg Township have their own food safety inspectors and the rest of the county is inspected by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspectors.

The results will be posted every other week. All food vendors are inspected at least once a year. Other inspections can be triggered by a change of owner, a follow up if a facility had been out of compliance or by a complaint filed with the PDA.

View any vendor's last inspection report online. Click on the PDF version of the inspection report for all details.

If a food provider is labeled out of compliance, that means it has one or more violations that require a return visit by an inspector. The establishment is given time to fix the problem(s) and remains open for business.

Complaints can be filed online with the PDA.

Below are the results of inspections conducted between March 27 and April 9, 2024, that were filed in the state database as of April 11 at 2 p.m.

Berks

Hartranft Poultry & Seafood, 10 S. Summit Ave., Shillington, April 5: five violations. Food Employee observed changing tasks that may have contaminated hands without a proper handwash in-between. Corrected. Coats stored on meat grinder. Corrected. Several deli salads prepared in the facility, a ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food, in the deli case area, were not compliant with datemarking by being labeled with a discard or use-by date of no more than 7 days. Corrected. Deli slicer blade, a food contact surface, was observed to have food residue and was not clean to sight and touch. Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. Shelves of reach-in refrigerators have old food/dirt residue buildup and must be cleaned. Out of compliance.

Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant, 401 Penn Ave., West Reading, March 29: no violations.

Applebee's #3404, 1905 Ridgewood Road, Wyomissing, March 29: two violations. Food employee observed in cook line area, wearing bracelets on arms. Corrected. Observed an in-use knife stored between table edges or between tables, an area not easily cleanable & sanitized. Corrected.

Lil's Bakery, 845 B Woodland Road, Wyomissing, March 29: no violations.

Michelangelo's Pizzeria, 500 Penn Ave., West Reading, March 29: five violations. The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view. A utility sink or curbed cleaning facility with a floor drain is not provided in the food facility. The mop sink has been removed from the closet in the restroom. Owner has not yet installed a mop sink. The outer door located in the restroom of the food facility still has a gap at the bottom and does not protect against the entry of pests. Paper towel dispenser empty at the handwash sink in the back area. Corrected. Working containers of chemicals and tools were stored with and on food products in the front and back areas. Corrected.

Spoonful Thai Bistro, 615 Penn Ave., West Reading, March 29: three violations. Food employees eating in front area as evidenced by observed partially consumed food on a counter next to a cutting board. Corrected. Observed in-use knives and /or cleavers stored between table edges, an area not easily cleaned & sanitized. Corrected. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration.

Wawa Food Market #8010, 2005 Museum Road, Wyomissing, March 29: two violations. Plastic pitcher lid observed chipped in the clean dish storage area. Corrected. Observed clean food black insert pans in the clean dish storage area, stored wet in a manner that does not allow for draining and/or air drying (wet nesting).

Wendy's # 19305, 4820 Penn Ave., Sinking Spring, March 29: one violation. Two floor drains in the back of house observed with excessive debris build-up and in need of cleaning.

Gehris Meats, 508 N. Main St., Topton, March 28: no violations.

Spuds Events And Catering Mff4 Zvl9432, 116 Spook Lane, Fleetwood , March 28: no violations.

Willy's Ice Cream, 3700 Pricetown Road, Fleetwood , March 28: no violations.

Blue Mountain Family Restaurant, 24 Roadside Drive, Shartlesville, March 27: four violations. Food contact surface of ice scoop is not smooth, easily cleanable and/or resistant to pitting, cracking or scratching. Walls in the ware washing machine area has plastic hanging up and is not an easily cleanable material. Observed cardboard being utilized as a floor covering. Spray bottle in front counter area was not marked with the common name of the chemical. Corrected.

China House, 825 Main St., Bally, March 27: no violations.

Exeter Sunoco Food Mart, 3153 Perkiomen Ave., Reading, March 27: no violations.

G&J Pizzeria & Bakery, 501 Main St., Blandon, March 27: three violations. Bowls were observed stored in three bulk flour containers in the bakery. Souffle cups were observed stored in three containers of spices in the pizzeria. Corrected. The handwash sinks in the pizzeria and bakery area were blocked by dirty dishes and not accessible at all times for employee use. Corrected. Spray bottles in utility sink and dish area, used for storing chemicals, were not marked with the common name of the chemical.

Giant Food Store #6486, 15100 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, March 27: six violations. Cases of food, in the walk-in freezer are stored in direct contact with condensation that has dripped and froze onto the exterior of the cases. Non-food contact surfaces (fan guards in walk-in coolers) not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dust. The handwash sinks located in the meat, seafood, bakery, and deli areas do not have water at a temperature of at least 85°F. Fruit flies observed on the walls and ceiling of the deli prep and bakery prep area. Floor area of the walk-in cooler below shelves where chicken breading is done was observed with excessive flour and debris on the floor and in need of cleaning. Working containers in vegetable prep area and bakery area, were not marked with the common name of the chemical. Corrected.

New Pied Piper Diner Restaurant, 1605 Route 100, Barto, March 27: no violations.

Muhlenberg Township

Big Lots #1754, 3215 Fifth Street Highway, March 31: no violations.

Arby's Restaurant, 3210 N. Fifth St., March 30: three violations. Food was held at 44.4°F, in the lower bain marie compartment, rather than 41°F or below as required. Upper bain marie with bulk of cold food holding cooling adequately. Food items removed to alternate refrigeration. Walk-in refrigerator fan guard is dusty. Observed rear storage room floor with peeling surface areas prohibiting proper cleaning.

Best Taco Mexican Food, 423 Water St., March 30: one violation. Birria was held at 115°F, in the prep area, rather than 135°F or above as required. Corrected on inspection.

Rittenhouse Village At Muhlenberg, 2900 Lawn Terrace, March 30: nine violations. Personal beverages stored on multiple countertops/food prep areas. Designate a space for personal beverages. Cutting board is not removable on steam stable shelf. It cannot be easily disassembled using common handheld tools for cleaning and inspection. Observed steam well interiors in the kitchen/dining room areas with soil accumulation. Observed utensils stored with handles in all directions. Store cooks' utensils and resident silverware with handles in same direction. There is not a Food Employee Certified employee/manager currently employed by the facility. Not in compliance with Food Employee Certification Act. Food Employee Certification required within 90 days. The floor / wall juncture in dry storage room is not coved and closed to 1/32 inch. Wall in the desk/work area in kitchen has a hole and in need of repair. Ceiling vents are soiled/dusty/rusted. Tracking between ceiling tiles is dusty/rusted and can potentially contaminate food/equipment.

Schell's Dairy Swirl, 4625 Fifth St., March 30: three violations. Personal beverages/items stored on multiple countertops/food prep areas. Designate a space for personal beverages. Observed food (case of bananas) stored directly on the floor in back storage room, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. Mops are not being hung to air dry.

Reading

None recorded.

UPDATES

The following reports for the period of March 13 to March 26, 2024, were added to the state's database after March 28 and did not appear in the previous Berks food safety report.

Berks

Daniel Boone Middle School, 1845 Weavertown Road, Douglassville. One violation, Observed a build-up of residue on the non-food contact surface of the ice machine.

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