Is this a violation?

tea.jpg

I went to dinner last night and was about to select tea from one of many containers but saw that all 5 (there was one out of my shot) had no tops on. Any number of things/bugs could have just dropped right in. Am I crazy or is that pretty bad?

I hear you. I've never felt safe drinking beverages like tea. Without alcohol in them to sanitize, almost anything might happen.

More information required:

How long were the containers like this?
(if the tops were simply moved to be cleaned and then quickly replaced, that is one thing, if they are like this all day, that is another).

I'm not sure that it is a direct violation, but it is certainly not a best practice in terms of food safety to leave food (including beverage) uncovered in an open-air environment.

More information required:

How long were the containers like this?

I wondered that too. They were open when I got there until I left which was probably about 30 minutes. I looked around the drinks station and the tops were nowhere to be seen. I looked down in and could see very small "things" floating on the surface of the tea. I'm not saying the "things" were contaminants, just that they were there.

Yeah, anything more than about 5 minutes is not in the best interest of the tea or the customer. (those "things" could be any "thing" and that is the problem. They could just be tea bubbles or they could be straw papers, who is to know?)

Sometimes I've seen (but rarely) pre-mixed bags used for those containers that are sealed. Unless the urn is under the dispenser/maker, they should have lids on them.

I hear you. I've never felt safe drinking beverages like tea. Without alcohol in them to sanitize, almost anything might happen.

They should have lids on them.

I think I recognize where those are from...

That's just gross- if it's the same place (at least the location I'm thinking of), I hadn't seen it like that before!