Sanitary Publix
 

In the past I have used the "soup" section of Publix at Wedgewood and they have been good. Today we were at Publix in Spanish Springs and I went to the Soup bar to buy one of the soups. As I stood there, there were 3 workers and two put some soup in a container, drank it put the scoop back in and put some more soup in a container and again drank from it and finally using the same scoop that had been in the portions that he had drank from scooped some more out. A Publix manager was standing next to the bar, watched what was going on and said nothing. I finally told the one person they were contamanating the soup and the thing used to scoop and he said something, (he was allegedly Mexican and speaking Spanish) so I could not understand what he was saying. The key points of this are: The soup bar being open to the public is obviously unsanitary, the Manager was not saying anything and when I asked her why the store allowed this she said it was Company policy and she could do nothing. They could put it behind the counter. It was like when we were young and all drank out of the cup by the barn. Message: Don't count on the soup bar being safe/sanitary.:(

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I don't think any "open" food bar/buffet is really safe. If there is something in a soup, salad,seafood or olive bar I want; I get it and try not to think about it. If I saw what you saw happened I would have told the manger and expected their reaction to be about the same you experienced. That would have probably also put me off getting anything that day but chances are I would be back in a day or two.

Don't Think So.
 

I don't think I would go back for the soup bar. It is like an open invitation for people to have free food and the other person takes the risk. I did let one of the Managers know and she blew me off and ignored what was happening. There are significant health risks when something like this is open to everyone and whatever they may carry is your risk. Did not even address that they were "drinking the soup" without paying and it didn't seem like anyone cared. No more Publix soup bar !! Wonder if this is in violation of the Dept of Health rules?:mornincoffee:

PennBF I'll make book it is a violation

I think you should report what you saw to the health department. We don't want to have something spread around among us old folks!

Publix
 

Your right and I will probably end up reporting it to the Sumter Health Dept or the Lady Lake. It would be terrible for people to get sick or ill because of this bad santitation. The solution is simple,,Just put the containers behind the counter and have the soup served at the Sandwich counter. But the manager at Publix in Spanish Springs said it is a company policy not to do that. Just to add a.."by the way". :mornincoffee:

Flu season is here time is essential

While in the Winn Dixie in Pinellas, a woman was making a salad at the salad bar there. Now mind you, I know that there is a sneeze guard but, she sneezed massively and just continued on. No turning around, no elbow guard, nothing, and friends wonder why I don't like food bars.....

Exactly. I won't use them anywhere. What makes sense to a business economically doesn't always translate into good sanitary policy. Even if that disgraceful behavior at Publix SS did not occur, still, not all of us care about basics.

E mail Publix headquarters with a complaint and I am sure they will change "policy"

This is not just a Publix problem, I seen grazers in Fresh Market, tasting every thing with their bare hands. For you own good stay away from any unsealed salads, olives, nuts, etc. Lots of people look at these items as a free lunch !!!

Good Observation
 

Rubicon, your observation regarding this is Flu season is something I did not consider but obviously it is a great point. What a good way to get the flu !!
Thanks for the thought.:BigApplause:

The only buffet I graze from is one I put together for my wife and me.

Might be a good idea to get a flu shot!

I totally agree that you should call the health department!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it might be a little trouble, but you should also contact customer services /health dept at Publix online. They really need to know about this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is why I don't eat at buffets!!! Thanks in advance for contacting the right people and doing the right thing.

I'm with you 110 percent! I always get my shot, early in the season. It usually takes around two weeks for it to be effective. Get it early and avoid the rush!

Food and Meat Inspection / Pay Online / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

The incident should have been reported to the chief store manager and if that was not done, the oppty to be of some use to us all and make a difference has been lost.
Why post it here, I wonder?

Above link is a guide to which regulatory agent does what. The health dept does not oversee grocery stores.

Just imagine what you don't see. Same as restaurants.

I am sure if you e mailed the stores corporate office , something would be done about it.

Appreciate
 

As a follow up to why report it here, etc. Of course the reason is to alert those who are using the "Soup Bar" of the risks. I think that was prudent and the right thing to do. I sure would like to know ! Regarding reporting: Prior to the notes as follow ups I did call the Store Manager this morning and told him of my experience. He seemed honestly concerned and said he would talk to his Managers. I explained to him the diffeence between the Soup Counter at Wedgewood and the one at Spanish Springs is that the one at Wedgewood is pretty much out in the open and it would be very visable if someone were to do as was done in his store as the soup bar is sort of hidden in a nook where it is not easy to see and visible. Don't know if they will do anything but hopefully they will take action. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to better protect the public??? At a minimum they should make sure their Manager's are made aware of the risks and they should not ignore the problem but address it when it happens and above all fix the location and make it harder to steal and contaminate the soup locations. I don't intend to go further however if all remains the same it may be appropriate to contact the health authorities. .:wave:

reportable violations will continue to occur until such time as people start to report them.
There will ONLY be enforcement if we insist on it!

Thank you and well done!
Publix will never fail to satisfy you and in my dozens of years experience, the managers have never failed to go an extra mile.

In our local store there are glass bins that take up both sides of the aisle with everything from jelly beans to sunflower seeds. You use a scoop, put the item in the bag, put on a scale, and print a label. I watched as a man was taking items from the bins with his hand and eating them. I'm not one to ever keep my mouth shut and told him it was disgusting and he was stealing. I began heading to the service desk as an employee was running down the aisle. Security witnessed the man and he was escorted out of the store with a harsh warning. Another employee asked me what bins he had handled and they were removed from the shelf.

This may vary from state to state, but common sense would dictate the person be given a warning and removed from the store. The container cleaned and fresh put in it's place. Reality is we don't know who handles the food we put in our mouth and where their hands were before they touched the food. I still buy our sunflower seeds at this store, but go in the early morning when the bins are being filled, and ask for some out of the big bag under the counter.

Oorah!

Also, if you are buying cooked shrimp from the fish dept, make sure the person waiting on you changes their glove. They should not be handling raw fish and then cooked fish with the same glove.

No Change
 

It is sad that yesterday when I spoke to the Manager of the Publix Market in Spanish Springs I believe him when he told me he would talk to his managers and fix the problem. We were in SS today so I walked into Publix's to see if and how the problem was fixed. You guessed it.! The containers were still in the little nook, pretty much out of sight of those shopping and it was still just as easy for someone to have a free lunch, contaminate the soups/scocper, and walk out. I give up. I guess the answer is to forget about it and let someone take it on as an issue. We don't normally shop there and will make sure we avoid the store in the future. If management doesn't care then it is pretty hard to solve their probllems. :mornincoffee:

I have seen stores with help-yourself bins where the scoop is stored in the bin along with the food. The customer digs the scoop out of the bin, uses it to take their desired portion, then puts it back in the bin. Might as well use their hands! I mean, I would never eat or drink again if I thought too deeply about germs and food safety, but some stores at least make an effort by hanging the scoops on chains next to the bins. Not that picking up the handle of the scoop is any better as far as transmitting bacteria and viruses, but at least I can wash my hands.

The best thing you can do is call Publix Corporate office and complain. If you will go to publix.com and scroll down to the "contact Us" link, you will find the phone number. Please report this. As a former Publix employee, the corporate office does listen to consumers and seriously listens to all concerns and complaints.

In Closing
 

In closing..I did what everyone suggested, spoke to Manager in store, spoke to store manager and finally at someone's suggestion called the Publix Corp. Offices. Excluding the first manager in the store all said it was not right and would be fixed immediately. In closing..Yep, nothing was done all is the same and I wasted my time. Enough about trying to do the right thing. I will avoid the "soup" counter in the SS Publix's.:yuck: