Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - April 28, 2023

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 866-366-3723, uses a risk-based inspection reporting process for restaurants and other food handlers.

Columbia Pizza And Italian Restaurant, 429 Locust St., Columbia, April 20. Fail. The person in charge did not demonstrate adequate knowledge as evidenced by not complying with the Food Code and having multiple priority item violations during this inspection. Food employee involved in food preparation while wearing a bracelet. Food employee preparing pizza dough not wearing proper hair restraints, such as nets, hats or beard covers. All food (deli meat, tomatoes, lettuce, onions) in the reach-in cooler stored open with no covering. Employee’s half-eaten food stored on top of and intermingled with food for the business in the reach-in cooler. Commercially processed, refrigerated, ready-to-eat, time/temperature-control-for-safety food (all deli meat), located in the walk-in cooler and the reach-in cooler, and held more than 24 hours, is not being marked with the date it was opened; repeat violation of 2021 and 2022. Food facility’s test strips are expired and appear to have been wet and are no longer reactive. Old food residue on the can opener blade. Old food residue on the slicer; repeat violations of 2021, and 2022. Brown, static dust on the fan in the back food preparation area. The food facility does not maintain food employee certification records as required. Food facility does not employ a certified food employee as required; repeat violation of 2021 and 2022. The facility has a certificate that is not a recognized food safety certificate; repeat violation 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Plumbing system not maintained in good repair — water leaking at the drainpipe in two areas beneath the three-compartment sink. The transom is missing above the door in the back food preparation area and does not protect against the entry of insects and other animals. Working containers in the back food preparation area, used for storing cleaners taken from bulk supplies, were not marked with the common name of the chemical. A working container of cleaner was stored on the same shelf with food in the back food preparation area. Medicine (cough syrup), vitamins, probiotics and an assortment of personal supplements stored with single-service items (to-go boats), in the back food preparation area.