The Allegheny County Health Department issued 13 health code violations to the Pittsburgh Popcorn Company’s processing facility.
According to the Food Safety Assessment Report, an inspection took place on Dec. 4 at the facility in the South Side Slopes.
Out of 33 total food safety assessment and general sanitation categories on the report, 13 violations were found.
Some food products had been gnawed by rodents, including cheese seasoning, white and milk chocolate morsels, tins used to store popped popcorn and packages of peanut butter inside walk-in cooler, according to the report.
A pack of used chewing tobacco was found on the production table in close proximity to bagged food products as well.
Pittsburgh Popcorn Company was directed to discard/remove food no longer in sound condition, the report said.
In the category of pest management, the report said numerous rodent droppings were found in “all parts of the facility,” including the production room, packaging room, tin storage room, kettle room, inside and/or in close proximity to popcorn production equipment, on food contact surfaces and the ware-washing room.
One live mouse was found running in a storage room, according to the report.
Pittsburgh Popcorn Company was directed to eliminate the pests. The company was not immediately available for comment.
In 2018, a consumer alert was issued for Pittsburgh Popcorn Company’s Strip District shop after “thousands” of mouse droppings were discovered. The alert was then lifted because the inspectors had misidentified burned popcorn kernels as mouse droppings.
