One Fort Dodge restaurant was found in violation during a food inspection last week.

Clark Kaufman with Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the Sports Page Bar and Grill was inspected March 14th where they were found to not have a certified food protection manager on staff; the restaurant was holding taco meat at 116 degrees and the meat had to be discarded; lettuce was holding at 49 degrees and had to be discarded; the inside of the ice machine was visibly soiled, as were the soda dispenser nozzles; and the staff’s handwashing sink did not have soap or paper towels.

The visit at the Sports Page was classified as a routine inspection in conjunction with a non-illness complaint. The nature of the complaint was not described by the inspector who ruled that it was unverifiable. The restaurant was last inspected in early 2018. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has stated since the inspection, the Sports Page was already righting one of the issues, by sending at least one employee to become a certified food protection manager.

In the past month, state and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and grocery stores for hundreds of food-safety violations, including excessive amounts of cockroaches, moldy cauliflower, bugs inside bottles of liquor and the lack of a restaurant license.

One Iowa restaurant Cantaritos in Pella, was cited for preparing diners’ food on top of a trash can inside the kitchen. Two others were cited for selling sushi that was deemed unsafe by the inspectors.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level.