Maricopa restaurant cited by health department

Food products without proper expiration date and disposition; food not separated properly; utensils not stored correctly and equipment not cleaned after use were among the health violations handed out to one Maricopa restaurant.

In July the Pinal County Department of Health Services inspected 14 Maricopa restaurants, citing one – Pepe's Taco Shoppe – with a score of Satisfactory.

Health inspectors conduct random inspections aimed at ensuring all proper steps are taken to maintain consumer safety, Pinal County officials said. The department can issue violations that are either critical or non-critical. Critical violations must be fixed within 10 days and affect a location's score. Non-critical violations must be fixed within 90 days.

Grades are based on the number of violations, with an "E" for excellent being the highest possible score. Other scores are "S" for satisfactory, "U" for unacceptable and "N" for needs improvement.

Those eateries receiving perfect scores were: