WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County health inspectors cited multiple food establishments for food safety and sanitation violations during inspections completed July 31, including critical violations involving improper food temperatures, employee hygiene, and sanitization, according to the Chester County Health Department.
The most extensive inspection findings were issued to La Sponda in Downingtown, where inspectors documented more than 20 violations, including several requiring immediate corrective action.
Inspectors observed employees handling ready-to-eat bread with bare hands, cooked meats thawing at room temperature, cooked foods cooling improperly at room temperature, and ready-to-eat foods throughout the facility lacking required date markings. Vacuum-sealed fish also was found thawing without opening the packaging first, creating a food safety concern.
Additional violations at La Sponda included food-contact surfaces with food residue, sanitizer in a three-compartment sink measuring 0 parts per million instead of the required 200 to 400 ppm, shellfish missing identification tags, opened food stored in cans, deteriorated flooring inside the walk-in cooler, reuse of single-use fish containers, and widespread cleaning and maintenance deficiencies. Inspectors noted employees corrected several issues during the inspection, including discarding improperly held breading, relocating cooling foods to refrigeration, and adjusting sanitizer concentration.
A complaint investigation at La Verona in Kennett Square identified refrigeration failures that resulted in the voluntary disposal of time/temperature controlled foods. Inspectors measured juices, fruit and other foods in a bar refrigerator at 57 degrees Fahrenheit, while a bain-marie near the pizza oven held foods between 46 and 50 degrees. The establishment also was cited after food debris was found on plates on the serving line.
A follow-up inspection at Tous Les Jours in Wayne documented continued food safety concerns. Inspectors cited the bakery for failing to maintain required time logs for foods held using time as a public health control and warned that continued noncompliance could result in revocation of that operating procedure. Staff discarded multiple food items, including garlic sausage blocks, spinach feta danishes, ham and cheese croissants, and egg tarts that exceeded allowable holding times.
Additional violations at Tous Les Jours included sanitizer buckets with no measurable sanitizer concentration, missing probe thermometers, blocked handwashing access, missing sanitizer test strips, improperly stored equipment, and inadequate lighting in the walk-in freezer.
At St. Peter’s Bakery in St. Peters, inspectors cited missing soap and paper towels at handwashing stations, sanitizer below the required concentration, rodent droppings beneath equipment, reuse of single-use fish trays, leaking plumbing, worn flooring, damaged refrigeration door gaskets, and failure to display a valid Chester County Health Department Certified Food Manager certificate and operating license. Several violations were corrected during the inspection.
The following establishments were reported in compliance during inspections conducted July 31:
- ALDI #18, Coatesville
- BJ’s Wholesale Club, Downingtown
- Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville
- Dunkin’, Paoli
- Friends of Warwick Park of Chester County, Pottstown
- Han Dynasty, Exton
- Hidden Acres Campground (Retail Food), Coatesville
- Paola’s Pizza, Elverson
- Starbucks, Phoenixville
- Tick Tock Early Learning Center, Avondale
The Chester County Health Department notes that inspections represent conditions observed at the time of each visit and may not reflect a facility’s long-term compliance status. Consumers who observe unsanitary conditions or believe a food establishment should be investigated may submit an Environmental Health Complaint through the Chester County Health Department. Those who become ill after eating at a food establishment are asked to call the department directly at 610-344-6225.
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