Copyright M Live Michigan
GEORGETOWN TWP., MI – A Jenison breakfast eatery was slapped with over a dozen health code violations last month for improper food storage and handling procedures. New Beginnings, located at 2722 Port Sheldon St. in Georgetown Township, received 15 violations during an Oct. 9 routine inspection by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. That’s higher than the average 2-3 violations typically cited at an inspection, the health department said. The restaurant complied with all the highest level violations by Oct. 31, after two paid follow-up inspections by the health department, records show. The violations included improper cleaning procedures, like not cleaning cook line utensils properly and egg pans caked with grease, and handling procedures like not storing food at proper temperatures or storing raw food above ready-to-eat foods. For example, eggs that had been prepared the day before were found in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler in 5-gallon buckets. The buckets of eggs were being stored at 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Potentially hazardous foods must be cooled to 41 degrees to limit the growth of harmful bacteria and toxins, according to the inspector’s report. The person in charge at the restaurant told inspectors that no cooling process or monitoring is used after preparation, according to the report. Additionally, raw bacon and raw scrambled eggs were stored above ready-to-eat foods in the preparation cooler at the restaurant. Food in that cooler was stored at too high of a temperature as well. “The facility is not using proper cooling methods to cool any prepped foods or monitoring any cooling processes/temperatures, which has resulted in foods not meeting the required time/temperature cooling requirements,” the Oct. 9 inspection read. The Oct. 9 inspection found a total of seven priority violations and three priority foundation violations, all of which had been corrected. Other priority violations found during that visit included not cleaning utensils and preparation surfaces frequently enough, thawing food not marked with dates, using too high of a concentration of sanitizer in the dish machine and leaving raw eggs out on the counter with a temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. At an Oct. 16 paid follow-up visit, the health inspector cited the restaurant for two more priority violations and one more priority foundation violation, which were all corrected. The full history of food inspection reports at the Jenison restaurant can be viewed by typing in “New Beginnings” in the health department’s restaurant inspection search tool, which can be found here. Priority violations are the highest-risk violations that are directly related to an increased risk of foodborne illness, according to the health department’s website. Priority foundation violations are those that can create a high risk violation. According to the health department’s procedures, a restaurant can be immediately and temporarily closed if inspectors find “a significant number of priority and priority foundation violations” during an inspection. When asked what is considered a “significant number,” a health department spokesperson said there is not a set number of violations that qualify for closure. The decision to close an establishment is based on multiple factors, including whether corrections can be made immediately, according to the health department’s website. Closure would also involve consultation with leaders from the health department. Inspectors usually work with the restaurant during the inspection to correct as many violations as possible, said health department spokesperson Alison Clark. The restaurant still had two outstanding core violations, which are lower risk violations related to general cleaning and maintenance, after the Oct. 31 follow-up. Inspectors said the sink in the server area was not sealed to the counter, and the cooking areas had an accumulation of excess food and grease debris. The restaurant did not respond to a request for comment by MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
