09C — Food-contact cutting surface improperly maintained
Knife cuts and pitting in a board trap food and bacteria down in the grooves where washing and sanitizing can't reach, so a worn board recontaminates everything you cut on it. The rule is that cutting surfaces stay smooth and cleanable. It's a General violation (2-5 points by number of surfaces). This is the lower-point sibling of 06D — same root issue (a surface you can't get clean), caught at the board.
What the inspector looks for
Pick up each cutting board and look across the surface: deep knife grooves, pitting, or stains that won't scrub out mean it can no longer be cleaned. A board (or other cutting surface) that's heavily scored or discolored must come out of service to be resurfaced or replaced.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 2 points — 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 by number of surfaces across condition I-IV. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Pull deeply grooved or cracked boards from service; resurface or replace them.
How to prevent it
Keep cutting boards smooth and sanitizable; resurface or replace grooved/cracked surfaces; color-code boards by use.
- ✓Retire or resurface (plane down) any board once the grooves are deep enough to catch a fingernail.
- ✓Color-code boards by use (e.g. red for raw meat, green for produce) so cross-use doesn't wear one board out faster.
- ✓Wash, rinse, and sanitize boards between tasks and air-dry them — don't let them sit wet.
- ✓Keep a few spare boards so a worn one gets pulled instead of run another shift.
Reference: Health Code §81.17(d)(1)
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