The health score of an American Deli in Covington dropped to a 25/U due to numerous food safety risk violations during a recent routine inspection.

Employees were not washing their hands when working with food. Several times, employees handled raw meat, bread and other ready-to-eat items while wearing the same gloves. In addition, an employee prepped multiple ready-to-eat foods with bare hands.

One of the coolers had an air temperature of 55 degrees, well above the 41-degree maximum. As a result, sliced cheese, chicken and beef patties were out of the temperature range and discarded.

Time controls were missing from the cooked chicken, a third consecutive violation for the deli. Items on the prep table and in the prep cooler had no date marking for disposal. Multiple dishes were stacked wet, and numerous containers, stored clean, still had food debris on the outside.

Employee drinks and goods were stored among customer foods. During the inspection, employees cleaned the facility, which had an accumulation of debris and grease on floors and walls.

American Deli, 3154 Highway 278, Covington, will be re-inspected. Its previous score was 87/B from June 2021.

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