Health department shuts down Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.'s processing facility

The Allegheny County Health Department said it discovered a variety of violations in an inspection of Pittsburgh Popcorn Co.’s processing facility on the South Side Slopes earlier this month.

Among the listed issues: Chocolate nibbled by rodents, broken sinks, grease-caked popcorn machines.

Altogether, the initial report noted 13 violations out of 33 food safety assessment and general sanitation categories.

Some of the issues were unresolved upon a second inspection Friday, leading the agency to order to facility closed until further notice.

Rob Day, co-owner of Pittsburgh Popcorn, said the South Side location is under separate ownership and is not affiliated with its eight storefronts.

The company has retail stores in the Strip District and Oakland, as well as Ross, Monroeville, Robinson, Bethel Park and Greensburg. Its Mt. Lebanon location is temporarily closed.

Findings from the health department report included seven 50-pound bags of cheddar cheese tainted by rodent bite marks and droppings, a live mouse behind the walk-in cooler and issues with lighting and ventilation.

“Facility under new contract with a pest control company and significant progress has been made, however, adulterated food was still present during today’s inspection,” the report noted.

In 2018, a consumer alert was issued for Pittsburgh Popcorn’s Strip District shop after “thousands” of mouse droppings were discovered. The alert was then lifted because the inspectors had misidentified burned popcorn kernels as mouse droppings.