GREEN TWP., Ohio — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the owner of Gary's Cheesecakes & Fine Desserts in Green Township over the discovery of rodent pellets and insect activity in food prep spaces.
The letter was posted online on May 16, though it's dated April 28. The letter says it received a response from the owner on March 7 describing corrective actions he took or plans to take.
"After reviewing the inspectional findings and response that your firm provided, we are issuing this letter to advise you of the FDA's concerns and provide detailed information describing the findings at your facility," the letter says.
The FDA inspected Gary's Cheesecakes & Fine Desserts on Crookshank Road from January 31 through February 15. During that time, inspectors determined ready-to-eat bakery products made inside "were prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or rendered injurious to health," according to the letter.
The specific violations were highlighted in the letter:
On January 31, inspectors found a dead rodent attached to a glue trap inside an open cardboard box located next to the bakery's stand mixer. On that same day, around 10 rodent pellets were found inside a junction between food prep tables where brownies were being iced. Rodent pellets "too numerous to count" were also found between ingredient bags and directly below a storage rack used to store bulk dry ingredients. On the same day, inspectors also found insect activity on a glue trap.
On February 8, inspectors noted multiple dead insects attached to two glue traps adjacent to an oven.
"In addition, a section of the glue trap was torn, which you stated was due to a mouse that chewed through the glue trap to escape when it was caught on the trap," the FDA notes in the letter.
On February 13, rodent pellets "too numerous to count" were found inside an enclosed shelf behind boxes containing icing piping bags and on a sheet pan used to store brownies prior to slicing.
"This is a repeat observation from FDA's 2020 inspection, as apparent rodent excrement was observed on and around an in-use caramel container used as a topping on (ready-to-eat) desserts and n a shelf directly below where plates for the slicing machine are stored," the FDA said.
The bakery's owner told the FDA on March 7 he disposed of glue traps with captured pests, placed new ones and sanitized areas where rodent droppings were found. He also told the agency he scheduled a garage door maintenance. But, the FDA said, the owner's response does not prove corrective actions are happening on a continual basis, or that the owner's efforts will effectively keep pests out.
In addition, the FDA said many of the owner's corrective actions included in the March 7 email were the same actions submitted to the FDA on March 8, 2020 in response to the similar findings that year.
On Tuesday, a representative for the store told WCPO "everything has been taken care of" and the store was just "trying to hang on."
WCPO asked a food safety consultant to weigh in.
"We don't see that many letters as it relates to this type of activity in a food manufacturing operation," said Gale Prince, president and founder of SAGE Food Safety Consultants.
Prince said it only takes a hole the size of a lead pencil for a rodent to enter a facility.
"It's not something that we want in our food," he said. "You have the possibility of human diseases being carried by rodents."
WCPO asked the Cincinnati Health Department how common these types of violations are in its jurisdiction.
"It's more common than you think," said John Sanders, supervisor of the Food Safety Program with the Cincinnati Health Department. "But it's different degrees."
Sanders said the most common violation the department sees is improper cleaning of facilities, as well as personal cleanliness and hand washing.
"If a facility's dirty or filthy or have food scraps and things like that around the floors and such, those would obviously create issues regarding rodents and roach activity," he said.
The owner of the bakery was given 15 days to respond to the letter. The FDA confirmed it received a response. WCPO is working to obtain the letter.
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