Burger King Branch Temporarily Shut Down

Popular fast food joint, Burger King, was recently in the news for all the wrong reasons. One of Burger King’s branches had to be temporarily shut down in the last fortnight following a viral video that displayed rodents running around bags filled with hamburger buns.

In her Facebook post, she captioned the video, “Don’t go to Burger King on 202 (rats are) running all over their buns … (at) Wilmington Delaware Concord Pike.” Before added emojis showing rats and people vomiting.

Delaware’s Division of Public Health  Office of Food Protection is said to have received d complaint shortly after and sent investigators to oversee the location. Investigators allied to the health office visited the location on Cordcord Pike in Brandywine Hundred before deciding to close the location immediately. They cited that their actions were inspired because of the “imminent health hazard caused by “gross unsanitary conditions” and “rodent infestation”

When quizzed by reporters, Burger King responded by saying that the Burger King branch in question was independently owned and operated, “While this is an isolated incident, we take these matters very seriously. Food safety and hygiene is always a top priority for us. We have already contacted the Franchisee, who independently owns and operates the location, to investigate this matter and ensure they take the appropriate measures. We can confirm that the Restaurant is temporarily closed and will reopen once this issue is addressed.”

After they learned of the unsanitary conditions of the premises, Burger King shared that they contacted and informed the owner to investigate the matter and ensure that they take the necessary measures to put things back in place. They fast-food chain shared that food safety and hygiene are always top priorities for them.

Compliance

Following the recommendations, the restaurant opened after the weekend. The inspection report had documented that rodent droppings were found on and inside the hamburger and chicken sandwich buns. In addition to this, the state health officials discovered that rodents had chewed through the plastic covering and the rolls too

Unbelievably, rodent droppings were also located in other areas in the restaurant, namely the water heater, ice machine, under dry storage places, and in close proximity to the syrup storage boxes. The inspection report also detailed that two mice were also removed from a mouse trap. Going forward, the recommendation is that the restaurant will undergo weekly pest services until the issue is eliminated for good.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one of the numerous other federal agencies tasked with the development of public health regulations in the country. Chief among their duties is the protection of the nation’s food supply. Because of the innumerable fast food restaurants serving millions of customers every day in the country, the FDA is always striving to ensure that million of customers in the country receive top notch quality food that is in compliance with established health standards.

Professionalism

As such, restaurant owners are mandated to ensure that workers properly wash their hands before handling food,  separating various food types to stop possible cross-contamination and the cooking of all foods at appropriated temperatures. This also includes proper refrigeration of leftover food portions.

Most notably, the FDA’s emphasis is not restricted to condition of the food itself. During preparation of the food, it is likely that some contaminant surfaces may make contact with the food and cause possible damage. Workers are required to prevent cross-contamination in the unprepared food. As the FDA site, food preparations surfaces are required to undergo thorough, routine cleaning. Therefore, the onus is on fast food establishments to ensure that food surfaces are thoroughly rinsed to remove residues from used cleaning fluids.