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Expired baby food and surface sewage: See latest Stanislaus County health inspections

In our Reality Check stories, Modesto Bee journalists deliver fast facts about the issues that matter to local residents to hold officials and institutions accountable. Read more. Story idea? Tips@modbee.com.

Stanislaus County health inspectors observed a Turlock store selling expired baby food and sewage surfacing in the parking lot of a Modesto fast-food restaurant while making their rounds in late December.

The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.

Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit also are inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the department’s office.

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Of the 111 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, 31 were not updated on the site as of Thursday morning.

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.

Surface sewage temporarily closes Modesto fast-food restaurant

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Dec. 16-29. Only the dates of violations are listed.

The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication.

The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website.

Silva’s Taqueria, 239 S. Golden State Blvd. in Turlock, had three major violations on Dec. 17. The employee bathroom lacked soap as well as paper towels at the hand-washing station. The hand-washing station in the back of the kitchen was lacking paper towels in the dispenser.

Baskin Robbins, 2221 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, had three major violations during a reinspection on Dec. 17. The temperature of potentially hazardous foods in the preparation refrigerator ranged from 43 to 48 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). The three-compartment sink had a hot water temperature of 117 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The food-preparation sink had a hot water temperature of 118 degrees.

Carniceria Garcia’s, 1117 Crows Landing Road in Modesto, had three violations on Dec. 19. Personal food supplies were stored with food items offered for sale in the walk-in refrigerator. The chlorine sanitizer in the towel buckets was above 200 ppm (must be 100 ppm). The food safety certification expired on Dec. 2, 2024.

Fast and Easy Mart, 1400 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, had three major violations on Dec. 19. The soda dispensers had buildup underneath the nozzles. The hot water temperature at the three-compartment sink was 65 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The hot water temperature at the janitor sink was 95 degrees.

The facility was placed on a restricted menu to sell prepackaged food only due to the lack of hot water.

CVS Pharmacy, 1700 McHenry Ave. Suite 1C in Modesto, had two major violations on Dec. 19. The hot water temperature at the janitor sink was 95 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The hot water temperature was 85 degrees at the bathroom hand-washing sink (must be between 100 and 108 degrees).

The facility was restricted to sell prepackaged food only due to the lack of hot water.

Burger King, 2320 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, had two major violations during an inspection on Dec. 20 which was the result of a complaint. The complaint alleged the facility’s bathrooms were not working and that it had sewage issues. Inspectors observed surface sewage outside of the facility. As the water in the three-compartment sink was running, it came out from outside of the facility into the parking lot. The water was not running through the sewer line. Also, the facility closed the restroom because the toilet was not working.

The facility voluntarily closed due to the surface sewage.

Daraman, 1050 W. Monte Vista Ave. in Turlock, had five violations on Dec. 20 — two of them major. A stockpot holding a ramen soup base was at 120 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). A soup base was being hot-held in a wok at the gas burner stove. Per the person in charge, the soup base was transferred as needed from the stock pot adjacent to it. The temperature of the soup base was at 111 degrees. A stock pot was too large to fit in the three-compartment sink for washing, rinsing and sanitizing. Two gas burner stoves were not being used for their intended purpose.

Bark, 1700 McHenry Ave. Suite 61 in Modesto, had two violations on Dec. 20 — one of them major. A sanitizer bucket and the sanitizer compartment within the three-compartment sink were set up upon inspection, but the test strips had been contaminated or dropped into the sanitizing solution (they were green instead of orange). The facility was selling hot dogs via a warming oven. This activity qualifies as food handling and requires a food safety certified employee to be present overseeing food production.

GK Mongolian BBQ, 2300 W. Monte Vista Ave. in Turlock, had 12 violations on Dec. 20 — two of them major. Food containers were stored on the floor throughout the facility. Food containers in the walk-in refrigerator and the walk-in freezer were open without tight-fitting lids. Food was stored inside uncovered containers in a refrigerator. A soy sauce ladle was soiled and resting atop a dampened cardboard box inside the walk-in refrigerator.

There were soiled food utensils, equipment and cleaning supplies at the hand-washing station. There were griddle cleaning tools placed at the sink basin in the hand-washing station. Sanitizer buckets were not set up in food preparation areas. The soap dispenser in the ware-washing area was empty. A trash container was lacking at the front washing station. A buffet-style refrigerator had an ambient temperature of 47 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). A separate buffet-style refrigerator had an ambient temperature of 63 degrees. Valid food handler cards were lacking.

7-Eleven, 2500 Geer Road in Turlock, had five violations on Dec. 26 — two of them major. The hot water faucet line at the bathroom hand-washing sink was turned off. There was not a minimum of 120-degree hot water at the three-compartment sink. The paper towel dispenser was empty at the bathroom hand-washing sink. The toilet paper was not in the dispenser. The food manager certification was lacking.

Little Caesars Pizza, 2575 Geer Road in Turlock, had six violations on Dec. 26. The walk-in refrigerator floor area had flour stain buildup. The pizza oven hood filters and interior surface of the hood system had grease/vapor stain buildup. The paper towel dispenser at the prep-area hand sink was empty. The soap dispenser in the bathroom was empty and the bathroom lacked a wall-mounted paper towel dispenser. The sanitizing container solution had food debris buildup.

Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections are:

Minor violations

Pop’s Bargain Outlet, 468 S. Center St. in Turlock, had two violations on Dec. 20. Multiple baby food and baby formula items were being sold past their best-by or use-by date. The permit was not posted in a conspicuous place for public viewing.

According to Stanislaus County, other food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:

No violations

These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:

This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 11:35 AM.

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Dominique Williams
The Modesto Bee
209-253-9007
Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.
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