Health Departent Closes Pittsburgh Grocery With Sea Moss, Other Problems

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Allegheny County Health Department has shut down Yard and Abroad Caribbean Grocery, located on Park Avenue in Wilkinsburg, for numerous food code violations.

An inspection on Tuesday found food products containing sea moss in the cooler. Food products being sold came from an unknown source.

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Unmarket packages of raw meat and cheese were found in the cooler.

Raw chicken being stored in a Coke merchandise cooler was measured at 47 degrees. Foods must be held at 41 degrees or below.

Raw meat products were being sold unpackaged in the upright cooler and freezer for customer self-serve, which is not permitted.

The grocery had no hot water and lacked a dedicated mop sink and three-compartment sink.. The grocery was instructed to have a registered master plumber perform all required plumbing fixtures.

The place also has no dedicated handwashing sink. It was instructed to get one.

Flies were observed in the store.

The grocery also was operating without a valid health permit. The health department instructed it to obtain one, as well as a final plumbing inspection from the health department's plumbing program.

A "closed" placard is posted at an establishment when an imminent health hazard is identified at a restaurant or kitchen or if it has been operating without proper permits. It is unlawful to operate a food facility with a "closed" placard.