No Big Island food establishments received a red placard from the Department of health since the beginning of the year, but one Kona restaurant was issued a yellow placard Wednesday.
Kai Eats and Drinks was inspected after a complaint was made to the Food Safety Branch by a customer who became ill after consuming a salad. A routine investigation is initiated after a complaint has been received.
No other reports of illness were received, however, inspectors cited five violations in the routine inspection related to storage of food, storage temperature and sanitizing. While some of the violations were corrected immediately, others require compliance.
The Department of Health instituted a color coded placard system in 2014. The goals of the Color Coded Placard Program are to reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness, increase the compliance of Chapter 50 Food Establishment Regulations and inform the public of the most recent inspection results.
A green placard is posted when no more than one critical violation is observed during a routine inspection. The critical violation must be corrected at the time of inspection.
A yellow placard is posted when a critical violation remains uncorrected after a routine inspection or when two or more critical violations are observed during a routine inspection, if corrected or not at the time of inspection. A follow-up inspection will be conducted within two business days to ensure compliance. If no critical violations exist, a green placard will be posted.
A red placard is posted when an imminent health hazard is observed during an inspection or when the permit is suspended. Examples include: sewage overflow, rodent/vermin infestation, or severe unsanitary conditions. The red placard must remain posted and facility closed until a follow-up inspection is conducted to confirm the imminent health hazard no longer exists.