Dead ants in liquor bottles, mold-like buildup and improperly stored raw meat contributed to an unsatisfactory health inspection score for Biba’s Italian Restaurant in Lawrenceville.
The restaurant at 4850 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 202, received a score of 54 during an Aug. 10 routine inspection, according to the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments.
Inspectors cited several food safety violations and found managers did not have adequate control over food handling and sanitation.
Spoiled food and contamination risks
An inspector found dead ants floating in two bottles of alcohol behind the bar. A lemon and cucumber in the walk-in cooler had a mold-like substance growing on them, according to the inspection report.
The inspector also found two heavily dented cans of tomato sauce stored with other cans. Employees discarded the produce and alcohol and separated the damaged cans from the restaurant’s food supply.
Raw salmon was stored above sauces and other ready-to-eat items in a cooler. Raw veal was stored above an open can of jalapenos and sauce, while breaded raw chicken was stored above breaded raw veal in a freezer.
Employees rearranged the food to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
The restaurant also had fish thawing inside packaging labeled with instructions to remove the fish before thawing. Employees discarded the fish.
Mold-like buildup and dirty equipment
Inspectors found mold-like buildup on drink nozzles at the front soda machine and inside the ice machine.
Plates stored as clean still had food debris on them. Food debris was also found on the part of a heavy-duty can opener that comes into contact with canned food.
Employees scrubbed and sanitized the drink nozzles during the inspection.
The report also noted thick mold-like buildup on shelves inside the walk-in cooler. Food debris had accumulated inside another cooler.
Inspectors found food debris and mold-like material on the walk-in cooler’s floors, walls and ceiling.
Cooling and storage violations
Several foods were not cooling quickly enough to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, according to the report.
Inspectors found food cooling in plastic containers at the bottom of a cooler. Covered containers of pasta were cooling on lower shelves inside the walk-in cooler.
Employees moved the food to the top shelf of the walk-in cooler or into a freezer. They also stirred the food and left it uncovered to help it cool more quickly.
The inspector instructed the person in charge to use metal containers, smaller portions and other methods that allow food to cool faster.
Soups, open boxes of chicken strips and other meats were also stored on cooler and freezer floors. Employees moved those items to racks at least 6 inches above the floor.
Follow-up inspection required
The health department plans to conduct a follow-up inspection within 10 days. Any violations that remain uncorrected could lead to a permit suspension.
A second consecutive unsatisfactory score would also result in a permit suspension. The report warns that receiving the same violation three times can lead to suspension.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
