Why did Rahma Grocery store at Carnegie shut down? Reasons explained

Rahma Grocery Store in Carnegie has been ordered to shut down after the Allegheny County Health Department discovered six health code violations, including pest infestation, that posed a potential risk to public health and safety.

The violations reported by the health inspection team mentioned dead German roaches, a dirty meat saw stained with different meats such as raw fish and raw beef, a walk-in freezer with an ambient temperature of 40 degrees, chronic food debris on shelves, dried blood on the floor, and a lack of hot water.

The grocery store is located at 409 E. Main St. in Carnegie and was under inspection by the health department on January 2, 2025.

According to the report by ACHD, the violations made it mandatory for the store to shut down. It is allowed to operate only if it resolves its underlying issues and complies with the health standards.

Was the store warned before to take precautions?

According to a report in Patch, the Rahma Grocery store was ordered to cease food processing on December 30, 2024, because it lacked hot water. However, the processing continued as it was discovered by the authorities during the inspection.

The store has been given a “closed” placard, which indicates serious health and safety violations at a food establishment.

How must a store operate to avoid these violations?

According to a report by the Department of Environmental Health, in order to avoid these violations, a store must ensure a handwashing facility is available, with the provision of warm water at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

It has instructed the employees to wash their hands throughout the day to avoid contamination.

It also encourages the employees to not work in the food facility in case they are suffering from any “gastrointestinal illness," for instance, diarrhea, vomiting, or other symptoms.

According to its website, the Allegheny County Health Department's Food Safety Program inspects all places that make, distribute, or sell food. The inspections are conducted by the environmental health specialists.

The health department allots a yellow placard or a “Consumer Alert” placard when there is a high or medium risk of violations. Under this placard, the facility is allowed to operate temporarily for a minimum period of 10 days.

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A reinspection is conducted before the expiration date or on the 10th date by the department. If the facility overcomes the violations, then it is given a green placard or “Inspected and Permitted” placard to continue its operations. Else, the facility is ordered to close and is assigned a red placard or “closed” placard.

Recently, Solo 7 Restaurant & Hookah Lounge in Pittsburgh was given a yellow “Consumer Alert” placard by the ACHD on January 2, 2025, as it discovered few violations by the food establishment. This included inadequate pest control, lack of food date marking system, improper hygiene, lack of cross-contamination prevention, and inadequate hand-washing facilities, as stated by the official ACHD website.

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