Rodent Violations at Wichita Restaurants Under the Kansas Food Code

The 2022 Kansas Food Code

The Kansas Department of Agriculture says the current Kansas Food Code is the 2022 edition, which took effect on June 2, 2023. KDA's published copy of the code says it is based largely on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2017 Food Code and its 2019 supplement, and it is adopted in the Kansas Administrative Regulations at K.A.R. 4-28-8.

The code sorts requirements into three types:

• Priority items, which directly control foodborne illness hazards
• Priority foundation items, which support priority items
• A third tier for general sanitation and maintenance items

The license that lets a food establishment operate is issued by the Secretary of Agriculture. The licensee is legally responsible for the operation and must make sure a person in charge is present during all hours of operation.

What the code expects on pests

The pest rules sit in the physical facilities chapter of the FDA model code that Kansas follows. In that model code, section 6-501.111 requires that the premises be controlled to minimize the presence of rodents and insects, including routinely inspecting incoming shipments and the premises for evidence of pests. Section 6-501.112 requires dead or trapped rodents to be removed from control devices and the premises at a frequency that prevents their buildup and does not attract other pests. Section 6-202.15 covers protecting outer openings, such as keeping doors closed and fitted so pests cannot get in.

In plain terms, inspectors want to see:

• No droppings, live rodents or dead rodents in food, prep, storage or service areas
• Doors, screens and openings that keep rodents out
• Traps and devices that are checked, with nothing dead left in them
• No conditions that invite rodents, like food stored on the floor or debris along walls

Any bait or pesticide used must be used according to its label. Most restaurant programs keep poison bait out of the building and use traps inside and locked stations outside.

What happens after a rodent finding

The Wichita Eagle, which publishes regular roundups of Sedgwick County inspections, explains how KDA results work. Most violations are minor and get fixed during the inspection. A business falls out of compliance when it has too many violations, when a violation could cause foodborne illness, or when a problem like a rodent or insect infestation cannot be fixed on the spot.

Establishments that are out of compliance are typically reinspected within about 10 days. Closures are rare and usually temporary.

Recent Wichita reports have described findings like rodent droppings on store shelves and roughly 100 droppings along the walls of a back storage room. Those are the kinds of findings that a single cleaning cannot fix, because the rodents are still there.

How to look up a Wichita restaurant

KDA posts inspection results in a public search on its portal. You can search by establishment name, address, city, zip code, county, compliance status and inspection date range. Results show a list of inspections, a map and the violations for each inspection. KDA says the data is refreshed nightly and reflects conditions only at the time of the visit.

To see Wichita results, choose Sedgwick County or search by city. The Wichita Eagle also keeps a database of noncompliant restaurant and hotel inspections.

If you see a rodent or droppings at a food business, you can raise it with the manager and contact KDA's Food Safety and Lodging program, which handles food establishment complaints.

What owners and managers should have in place

A rodent finding is easier to avoid than to clear. Before an inspection:

• Keep back doors closed, with door sweeps that leave no daylight
• Store food and supplies at least six inches off the floor and away from walls so droppings are easy to spot
• Clean under and behind equipment nightly, where crumbs and grease build up
• Break down boxes and move deliveries into sealed bins quickly
• Keep dumpster lids closed and the dumpster pad clean
• Have a pest provider on a schedule, with a written log of each visit

After a finding, call a provider right away, document what was done and fix the conditions the inspector noted before the follow-up. The restaurant rodent control page covers what a food business program includes.

Districts with more pressure

Old Town's converted brick warehouses, Delano's Douglas Avenue blocks and other older commercial strips share walls, basements and alleys. A rodent problem can move from one business to the next. Newer strip centers share back corridors and dumpster pads.

Restaurants in those settings benefit from talking with neighbors and the building owner about shared trash areas and openings. A provider can treat your space, but rodents coming from next door will keep testing your doors.

Questions Wichita readers ask

Keep reading

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• All Wichita rodent guides
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