Edo Japan Spruceland, Red Robin Prince George, and China Taste have been given high hazard ratings by Northern Health inspectors, following inspections earlier this month.
At Edo, imitation crab and shrimp were found to be between 7.8 to 13.9 C, above the 4 C standard, and flagged as a critical health concern during a routine inspection on Jan. 25. The imitation crab and shrimp were discarded during the inspection.
No temperature logs were available for the last couple hours, noted a Northern Health report.
“Staff are also keeping processed vegetables next to the grill without keeping track of time spent in the danger zone,” they added.
All potentially hazardous foods must be stored at below 4°C or above 60°C, out of the danger zone to prevent bacterial growth and possibly food borne illness.
Utensils also weren’t kept to health authority standards, with a knife used for cutting sushi and grill utensils found covered in food debris, and a dirty weigh scale. The knife and grill utensils were replaced with clean utensils during the inspection.
Red Robin had a similar food storage problem, with open-top coolers found stored above 4 C during a routine inspection on Jan. 18.
A corrective action was suggested to store small batches of food and close the lid when not in use, in addition to moving potentially hazardous cold foods to refrigeration within four hours.
Bacon strips were also discarded after being found stored at 10 C, with a manager informing Northern Health that they had been told by the company that the “shelf-life for cooked bacon strips is 12 hours at room temperature."
China Taste was given a high hazard rating after a complaint inspection on Jan. 22 found three critical violations.
"Processed vegetables, bean sprouts, meat, and sauces were left at ambient temperatures, with internal temperatures measured between 10-11.8°C," the report stated, citing the restaurant for storing food above 4 C. "Multiple food products within the walk-in cooler were measured between 8-9°C."
The restaurant was also cited for "utensils and equipment were noticeably dirty, with noticeable amount of grime throughout the facility."
The third critical violation - for "inadequate sanitizing rinse solution" in the dishwasher - was corrected during the inspection.
Quizno's Classic Subs on Central was given a moderate hazard rating during a routine inspection on Jan. 25 for two critical violations.
There were "potentially hazardous cold foods are stored above 4°C. Meat products stored in top of prep cooler was measured between 4.9-7.1 °C," the report stated, as well as the "underside of slicer blade had food debris at time of the inspection."
Little Caesars and Ramen Ya Sendo are listed as moderate after inspections during December.
Four other eating establishments are still listed as moderate on the Northern Health website after inspections earlier in 2023.
