05C — Food-contact surface improperly constructed or located
Food-contact surfaces that are rough, cracked, corroded, or made of the wrong material trap bacteria you can never fully wash out, and can shed material into food. The inspector looks at how equipment is built, what it is made of, and where it sits — it must be an approved, cleanable material installed so it can be cleaned. It is cited at 7-10 points and rises to 28 if not corrected.
What the inspector looks for
Look at every surface food actually touches: prep tables, cutting boards, containers, equipment. Run a finger across each one — no crack you can catch a fingernail in, no rust flaking off, no raw or unfinished wood. Stainless or NSF-rated is fine; splintered wood, cracked plastic, or gritty rust is the violation.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 7 points — 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 across condition I-IV; failure to correct (Pre-Permit Serious) → 28. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Remove the unacceptable surface/equipment from food use; repair, refinish or replace it with approved, cleanable material.
How to prevent it
Use only smooth, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant, easily cleanable food-contact materials; install and locate equipment per approved plans.
- ✓Use only smooth, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant, easily cleanable (NSF-rated or equivalent) materials for anything that touches food.
- ✓Pull cracked cutting boards, chipped containers, and rusting equipment out of food use and refinish or replace them.
- ✓Install and position equipment per your approved plans so every food-contact surface can actually be reached and cleaned.
- ✓Inspect food-contact surfaces during your monthly deep clean and retire anything you can no longer get fully clean.
Reference: Health Code §81.17(d)
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