Water and Ice, Taco Bell rate excellent in health inspections

Two Maricopa establishments inspected by the county health department during the past month received passing grades.

The Water and Ice store, 20928 N. John Wayne Parkway, received an E, with recommendations to discontinue the use of sponges and begin storing the ice scoop on a sanitized surface.

Taco Bell, 20928 N. John Wayne Parkway, also received an E, with recommendations to clean a mold-like substance that was building up on the soda fountain.

The inspections are completely random and aim at ensuring that all proper safety steps are being taken to maintain consumer safety.

To ensure consumer safety, the department can issue violations that are either critical or non-critical. Critical violations must be fixed immediately 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 being the highest possible score an establishment can receive.

The scores used by the Pinal County Health Department are:

E = Excellent – No critical violations were noted at the time of the inspection.

S = Satisfactory – Critical violation(s) noted and corrected prior to the completion of the inspection.

N = Needs Improvement – Critical violation(s) noted at the time of inspection, but not able to be corrected prior to the completion of the inspection.

U = Unacceptable – Gross, unsanitary condition, necessitating the discontinuation of operations.

If an establishment receives a U or an N, they cannot operate until violations are
addressed, and they risk being shut down permanently by the state.

Click here to read the reports for both Water and Ice and Taco Bell.

Photo by Michael K. Rich