FOOD hygiene rules have been broken dozens of times in the region’s hospital kitchens, the Sunday Sun can reveal. Out-of-date food, filthy floors and peeling paint are just some of the unsavoury findings uncovered by environmental health officers who carry out inspections.

SEBRING -- Armed with thermometers and tests strips, a keen eye and attention to detail, state inspectors usually find more than one serious violation each time they conduct an unannounced restaurant inspection. An eatery with uncorrected critical food and safety violations receives a warning and establishments with an immediate threat to public health are closed down by the state.

The New York Times reports this morning that two major American companies, Costco Wholesale and Beef Products Inc., have gotten tired of waiting for regulators to act on non-O157 STECs (shiga-toxin producing E. coli) and are proceeding with their own plans to protect customers.

The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) has received a report of a laboratory-confirmed case of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in a male in his 70s who ate raw clams earlier this month. HEALTH is not certain where the clams were harvested. The man was treated and is recovering.

BEND, Ore. -- Deschutes County health officials say the drinking water at a Central Oregon resort has been contaminated by E. coli bacteria. The county health department said in a statement Friday that visitors have been sickened. The bacteria hasn't been confirmed as the cause of the disease.

We've added 470 records of health inspections for restaurants, bars, cafeterias and other eateries in Kershaw, Lexington and Richland counties. The inspections were carried out between June 3 and July 9 by Department of Health and Environmental Control inspectors.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Green tomatoes on average remain less conducive to spreading salmonella than red tomatoes. Salmonella also interacts differently with tomatoes than it does inside animals.

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MUNCIE -- Numerous restaurants were cited for food temperature violations during recent sanitation inspections by the Delaware County Health Department, while many others passed inspection with no violations.