Hiep Thanh Market Gets Conditional Pass for Food Violations

Hiep Thanh Market on Larkin Street received a conditional pass during its November 26 health inspection, allowing the Nob Hill market to remain open while addressing several correctable violations identified by San Francisco health inspectors. The routine inspection at 724 Larkin Street revealed violations primarily centered around unapproved food sources and temperature control issues that required immediate attention but did not warrant closure. Inspectors discovered unlabeled homemade items including sticky rice rolls, cassava cakes, and sweet rice rolls that were being sold without proper approval.

Food Source Violations Addressed

The most significant violation involved potentially hazardous foods that were prepared in a home kitchen rather than an approved commercial facility. Inspector notes from this inspection indicate that sticky rice rolls, cassava cakes, and sweet rice rolls were immediately discarded as they did not meet cottage food facility requirements. Temperature violations were also documented, with sticky rice rolls measured at 96°F and sweet rice rolls at 85°F while held at room temperature on the cashier's counter. Additional temperature concerns included quail eggs at 60°F and Vietnamese rice noodles at 51°F in the vegetable display cooler. The operator moved these items to proper refrigeration in the walk-in cooler downstairs.

Infrastructure and Storage Issues

Plumbing problems were identified at multiple locations throughout the facility. The handwash sink at the north end of the meat department had inoperable hot and cold handles, while the three-compartment sink downstairs had a broken cold handle and a leak at the main valve. These repairs are essential for maintaining proper sanitation standards. Food storage violations included items stored directly on floors in both the meat walk-in refrigerator and walk-in freezer downstairs. Inspectors also found foods stored beneath unshielded sewer lines, requiring either line shielding or relocation of stored items. All foods must be stored at least six inches above floor level according to health code requirements.

Labeling Compliance Needed

Multiple unlabeled, self-packaged foods were found throughout the facility, including various frozen fish products and bags of rice in addition to the homemade items. The market must properly label all self-packaged foods with facility name and address, common food name, ingredient lists by weight, and net weight contents.

Conditional Pass Allows Continued Operation

Despite these violations, the conditional pass designation allows Hiep Thanh Market to continue serving customers near the Van Ness Muni station while addressing the identified issues. Two violations were corrected on-site during the inspection, demonstrating the operator's willingness to maintain compliance. The market serves the local Nob Hill community with Vietnamese specialty foods and groceries. This marks the facility's first recorded inspection in the city database, establishing a baseline for future compliance monitoring. Follow-up inspections will verify that plumbing repairs have been completed, proper food storage practices implemented, and all self-packaged items correctly labeled. The market's conditional status should be resolved once these correctable violations are addressed according to inspector recommendations.