One month after a host of food safety violations prompted its temporary closure, Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant in St. Petersburg, FL has a new management team and the services of a third-party food safety inspection company. The company will inspect all of Ceviche’s locations and post letter grades at the restaurant entrances.
“Ceviche has proactively engaged the nation’s leading third party food safety inspection company to demonstrate our commitment to exceeding standards set by the State. We challenge other restaurants to do the same. We want the community to be confident that the Ceviche brand is committed to providing the best dining experience in Tampa Bay,” the company said in a statement.
The changes at the restaurant come after the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation found food safety violations including: food not stored at proper temperatures, inadequate handwashing facilities and pest problems during an April inspection. Inspectors found similar issues at Firefly on Paradise in Las Vegas which has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 200 people. That restaurant has been closed.
Health officials in Nevada have not yet determined the source of the outbreak. Contaminated food is usually the source of restaurant outbreaks. Contamination can happen at any point from farm to fork. Health officials are testing foods and kitchen surfaces and interviewing employees.
Salmonella can cause serious, sometimes life-threatening illness and have long-term health effects such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colitis, reactive arthritis, meningitis and sepsis. Symptoms usually develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure and can last up to a week.
Given the severity of the consequences when food safety is lacking, it’s surprising how surprising Ceviche’s announcement is. Patrons outside the restaurant cheered the company’s announcement about its new commitment to food safety, according to one local news report. Now will other restaurants take a page from Ceviche’s book?
