By Sheldon Spackman

Red Deer restaurant closed for Public Health Act breaches

Oct 4, 2018 | 10:43 AM

A Red Deer restaurant is among four in central Alberta currently closed for breaches of Alberta’s Public Health Act.

According to Alberta Health Services, Phoenix Buffet at 11-6791 50 Avenue was given a Notice of Closure on September 24 after a recent inspection found numerous food safety violations at the establishment.

The list of violations include unsafe thawing of high-risk foods in stagnant water, unsafe storage of high-risk foods between 4°C and 60°C, unsafe food storage practices, including raw meat stored above produce, uncovered or inadequately covered food storage containers, containers with visible contamination in the food product, stacking of open containers, containers stored in the mechanical room and containers stored on the floor.

Others include use of unsuitable food storage containers, including non-food grade containers and/or containers that are not meant for reuse, cracked/broken containers and visibly dirty containers. The use of unsuitable and visibly dirty items as dry food scoops, including dirty cups and bowls without handles were also found during the inspection, in addition to inadequate sanitizing of surfaces, including a visibly dirty sanitizing solution and wiping cloths not being stored in sanitizing solution.

Poor food handler hygiene, including improper and infrequent hand washing, storage of aprons in the staff bathroom and washing aprons in the hand washing sink were also noted in the report, as well as food handling staff not demonstrating safe food handling practices or an understanding of basic food safety knowledge among others.

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Restaurant owners Yan Guang Liang and Qi Wen Zheng are now required to address all the violations noted in the inspection before the restaurant’s doors can reopen.

Elsewhere, Humpty’s Family Restaurant in Sylvan Lake at 3 Highway 11A has also been given a Notice of Closure from AHS. That order went into effect on June 1.

Public Health Act breaches discovered in their inspection found concerns such as food handling staff not demonstrating safe food handling practices and lacking basic food safety knowledge, food contact surfaces and equipment not adequately cleaned and sanitized during food preparation and a chemical dishwasher not equipped with a sanitizing solution.

Others included sanitizing solutions at inadequate concentrations and infrequent hand washing by food handlers and food handlers touching food with their bare hands among others.

Owners Dilpreet Singh and Raghvendra Tiwari have also been ordered to address their establishment’s food safety violations before reopening.

In Spruce View, Wild Texan BBQ Company at 2127 Highway 54 was handed a Notice of Closure from AHS on May 30. Their doors remain closed until identified issues are addressed as well.

Breaches of the Public Health Act found in its inspection include operating without a valid and subsisting food handling permit from Alberta Health Services.

Restaurant owners Ed and Donna Fairweather have been ordered to obtain a valid food handling permit from Alberta Health Services before reopening.

Finally, Maureen’s BBQ Pit at 2402 20 Avenue in Bowden was also given a Notice of Closure from AHS just five days earlier on May 25.

Its breach of the Public Health Act also includes operating without a valid and subsisting food handling permit from Alberta Health Services.

Owner Maureen Sager has been ordered to obtain a valid food handling permit from Alberta Health Services before reopening.