Here’s what happens when one South MS kitchen is hit with 10 health violations
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- Brothers Food Mart failed inspection with 10 critical violations on June 25.
- Flies were found in the kitchen; no certified manager was present on-site.
- Mississippi Health Department will increase oversight and inspection frequency.
It’s rare that one kitchen racks up 10 critical health violations and when it does, it brings a new level of scrutiny from the Mississippi Health Department.
On June 25, Brothers Food Mart at 6600 28th St. and Canal Road in Gulfport failed its inspection with 10 issues, any one of which would warrant a C grade.
An 11th violation was corrected during the health department inspection of the kitchen at the gas station convenience store where food is prepared.
One of the most concerning issues is when inspectors find rodents, insects or animals present. Mississippi’s inspection website doesn’t specify which pest or animal was found.
In this case it was flies, said Adam Follett, retail food protection director for the state health department. MSDH may place a hold on, or discard, orders on any food the inspector observes may be contaminated, he said.
An owner or manager was not available for comment on the violations or the response to the failed inspection.
Procedures are followed
Health inspections that typically are done once or twice a year don’t often result in closing a business, but they can, particularly when 10 violations are found.
“Depending on severity, that many violations may be considered an imminent health hazard requiring either an administrative hearing to determine next steps or immediate closure,” Follett said.
“Facilities dealing with an imminent health hazard may be given the option to voluntarily close,” he said, “or they may be closed by enforcement notice at the discretion of food protection supervisory staff.”
More violations
Restaurants and kitchens that prepare food for the public are required to have an owner or manager who oversees kitchen conditions and food safety.
Brothers was cited for having no certified manager and no person in charge who had the knowledge of clean and safe operations.
In addition to those violations and the flies found, other citations were for:
▪ Food not in good condition, safe and unadulterated
▪ Food not separated and protected
▪ Toxic substances not properly identified, stored, used
▪ Improper cold holding temperatures
▪ Improper date marking and disposition (a system for disposing of food at regular intervals)
▪ Inadequate hand washing facilities supplied and accessible
▪ Last inspection report not posted
Corrected during the inspection was:
▪ Food contact surface cleaned and sanitized
What happens now?
An inspection with this many violations triggers greater oversight to protect customers.
“MSDH will take steps to closely monitor progress at this facility,” Follett said, and inspections will be done more often to ensure the kitchen doesn’t continue to have issues.
Brothers Food Mart has been inspected five times since December 2022. Twice the kitchen scored an A with no violations. Twice the grade was a B, with all violations corrected during the inspection. This was the first C.
