LaBelle Olivia's Restaurant Sanitation Problems?

Four Critical And Two Non-Critical Food Safety Issues Found

LABELLE, FL. --  The Sunday Morning News looked at the most recent health inspection of LaBelle's Olivia's Restaurant at 1 Oxbow Drive in the Port LaBelle Inn, probably the most well known restaurant in Hendry county. A Florida State Food Inspector found on his latest inspection numerous food safety issues including concerns about sanitation and lack of proper credentials for the food manager Hein Rott.

The restaurant is now operated by Food Masters, Inc. of Raleigh N.C., a food service and management company. The company filed for incorportation in Florida February 17, 2010. It was formerly operated by the Port LaBelle Inn.

A state food safety inspector observed the violations listed below on March 9, 2010. finding six health violations including four critical, which may be typical of a random spot check at this restaurant. The inspector found among other things, no properly certified food manager and apparently no chlorine or other sanitizer in the dish washing machine.

This is not the first time the restaurant at the Port LaBelle Inn has been found without a licensed food manager. Numerous past inspections have found the same issue under every owner of the restaurant. A certified food manager would also be required to train the staff in food safety.

The state of Florida's Division of Hotels and Restaurants is required to do periodic spot inspections of restaurants, hotels and motels each year, and publishes the results of each inspection online.

The department cites violations of Florida's sanitation and safety laws, which are based on the standards of U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Code. In general, critical violations are those that, if not corrected, are more likely to contribute directly to food contamination, illness or environmental damage.

Although the the industry-standard term "critical" is used, varying degrees of severity and potential risk to the public require inspectors to assess each situation in determining the appropriate action. In addition, while an establishment may have multiple violations, the inspectors' training and judgment formulate the overall result of the inspection to ensure the public health and safety.

While most establishments correct all violations in a timely manner (often during the inspection), the division's procedures are designed to compel compliance with all violations through follow-up visits, administration action or closure when necessary.
 
Observations by State Food Safety Inspector:
 
Critical. CHEESE (WALKIN) 40F PASTA (REACH IN ) 41F CHICKEN (REACH IN ) 41F CHICKEN (COOK AND COOLED ) 41F
Critical. OBSERVED NO READING ON SANITIZER TEST STRIP FOR DISHWASHER
Critical. OBSERVED A DRIED FOOD DEBRI BUILDUP AND A RUSTLIKE SUBSTANCE ON SHELF OF WALK-IN COOLER
OBSERVED INSERT PANS TACKED WET AFTER WASHING
OBSERVED A GREASE LIKE SUBSTANCE BUILDUP ON FLOOR UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT
Critical. CERTIFIED FOOD MGR HEIN ROTT 12/15/09 SAFE STAFF