25 April 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – An inspection Monday found an infestation with more than 1,000 old and fresh rodent droppings at the Asian Market on 21st and Gage Blvd, according to reports 27 News obtained from state inspectors.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture found the business was in violation of 11 health code violations. The violations included snack foods chewed on by rodents, over 1,000 rodent droppings and improperly stored food.
Inspectors found trays of rat poison pellets throughout the establishment and directed the business to put them in protected bait stations.
The store was ordered to lock doors to consumers and stop all food sales.
According to owner Caleb Lee, health inspectors returned around Tuesday morning and the store passed inspections. The store is currently open for business.
Above: As of Tuesday, Channel 27 News found brush and trash behind the business. A rodent was seen running toward the pile of debris. Listed as a violation in the KDHE inspection, an accumulation of trash and debris was found at the back door.
The KDA inspection found the following violations Monday:
More than 1,000 fresh and old rodent droppings. The person in charge said pest control visits monthly. A sticky glue trap was found at the dishwashing sink and a rodent bait station was on the retail floor. The person in charge couldn’t provide the most recent pest report and said pest control was scheduled to visit the following day.
Rodents chewed on more than 25 packages of candy, chips and other snacks. The business discarded the bags from the shelves.
An accumulation of rodent droppings was found under shelves, on top of shelves, and all over the floor.
A one-inch hole on the east side of the back door was cited as a possible entry point for rodents.
Three packages of raw meat were found in a sink without running cold water. The temperature of the meat was found to be 60 F, which is above the 42 F cooling requirement.
Frozen raw meat was stored above bagged frozen vegetables. No leaking was seen. The business moved the raw meat to the freezer door.
An accumulation of trash and debris at the back door including an overgrown bush. The inspector advised the person in charge it needed to be cleaned up to avoid harboring pests.
No paper towels or hand-drying provisions at the dishwashing/handwashing sink.
Use of chlorine bleach for sanitizing the dishwashing sink, but no test strips were located to determine if the sanitization level of the water was at the right level.
White trays with rat poison throughout the establishment.
The licensee didn’t cease operations or notify the KDA of the live rodent infestation.
This was not the first time the establishment had health violations:
In a May 2022 inspection, there were five total violations: Frozen fish found without proper labels, raw quail eggs stored above vegetables, certain foods not at the correct temperatures, no food thermometers available and a hand washing sink without soap. Despite the violations, the store was found to be in compliance.
An April 2021 inspection had eight violations but was still found in compliance. The report found cans without labels, meats without proper handling instructions, certain items not at the correct temperatures, items in freezers without labels, items for sale without allergen warning information and no available chlorine test strips.
No violations were found during a February 2021 inspection.
27 News is working to identify if the state will be doing more follow-up following the most recent violations.